YuYuGiDigiMoon Special: The West Coasters
by Kanius
Summary: The next phase of YuYuGiDigiMoon's New Era. A group of young Metas, called the West Coasters, receive powers from alien sources and unite to combat an assembly line of anti-Meta AIs known as the Souja. Additional origin stories for each West Coaster included as well as tidbits.
1. Andrea - Psyclone

**A/N:** And what do you know? Another new fic just when I started on _Neos United_? Yep, your eyes aren't deceiving you. Much like the aforementioned fic, this one will be another mini-arc entry.

Now, you're wondering what this fic is about? Good question. This story is both a series of origin stories and flash forward events. The West Coasters was conceived by me and LazerWulf, and we've had this in the planning stages since 2011. Since these characters are new, we had to come up with names, personalities, back stories, and the works. Thus, _The West Coasters_ was created as part of the New Era project I have going for YYGDM now.

Barring cameos from pre-existing (canon or OC) YYGDM characters, this story will entail new characters. New characters that receive powers (yes, like the X-Men and Inhumans) from the Rajita. More or less, an extension of the Chimeras.

This story will be first involving its own cast of characters with almost zero connection to the main heroes, for now, and the first with heroes outside Japan. In other words, this is our first original series. Lazer and I have spit balled for a few years since then and I think we have something here.

We'll see how this experiment goes.

Now on with the first origin story out of six.

xxxxx

 _ **San Francisco, California/November 30, 2003/10:30 PM**_

It was the advent of the Rajita Empire's global incursion. Japan was the first country to be attacked, but it wasn't long for the invaders to hit the United States. In fact, it was the west coast that got targeted first. Various cities on the west coast, from as far north as Seattle as south as San Diego were attacked by the Rajita.

San Francisco definitely wasn't left out.

 **(Cue Justice League Unlimited OST –** _ **Fatal Intentions and the Truth**_ **)**

Families came running out of their homes as Rajita soldiers came driving them them. Amidst the human being rounded up like cattle, a woman with a coffee skin complexion managed to slip by with her daughter.

"Mom, where are we going to go?" The 12-year-old brunette-haired girl asked, running along with her mother.

"To your father."

"But, he hasn't called back?"

"He must be busy helping defend the base...!" The woman ran along as she nearly tripped over.

"Mom!"

"I'm ok. Stay close to me, Andrea."

"I am, but are we going to get far? What if they find us?"

"They won't if we hide! They won't find us, Andrea, and I won't let anything happen to you!"

As the mother and daughter hastened the pace, Andrea tripped over a mud hole, causing her mother to scramble over to get her.

"C'mon, Andrea, get up!" She grabbed his daughter's hand.

As Andrea stood, some light beamed down over them. Andrea was sighted by a Rajita hovercraft that dove toward her.

"Andrea! Move!" The mother screamed.

Turning around, Andrea became frozen, albeit for a few seconds, with apprehension as the hovercraft opened fire and shot down several blasts.

However, those few seconds she could've used to move was all the mother needed to throw herself in front of her daughter. The mother took a blast head-on, which sent her crashing back on a puddle.

"Mom... MOM!" Andrea screamed as she finally broke out of her frozen state. She scrambled over to her mother's side. "MOM! STAY WITH ME!" She pleaded, grabbing her mother's hand. "No... no... mom, MOM! DON'T...!" She cried out, hearing deep heavy breaths from her mother.

"Are you ok...?"

"I am, but you're bleeding... and... we need to get you to a doctor! I think the hospital is close to us!"

Dismissively nodding, the mother smiled. "As long as you're ok... Andrea... tell your father..."

"No, please... don't..." Andrea cried hard, not letting go of her mother's hands. She felt them getting colder. "Tell your father I love him... and... I love you... take care of yourself... grow up and become somebody..."

Andrea's cries fell on deaf ears as the woman slowly passed on. Andrea shook her mother hard until she stopped moving. Just then, an explosion occurred from above as an Air Force jet blasted the alien aircraft. However, Andrea continued holding onto her mother for dear life.

An hour or so passed when an soldiers found Andrea and her mother. As she witnessed her mother being carted, calls were issued to Andrea's father. And it was from this point that Andrea's life took a dramatic turn.

 **(End theme)**

xxxxx

 **(Cue Wolverine and the X-Men Opening Theme)**

xxxxx

 _ **YuYuGiDigiMoon Special: The West Coasters**_

xxxxx

Chapter 1

 _ **Andrea – Psyclone**_

xxxxx

 **(Cue Super Metroid OST –** _ **Prologue**_ **)**

Over a month and a half following the first Rajita incursion on Earth, the apparent dozens of Rajita ships were shot down by military powers all over the world. Recovered ships were taken to military bases for study. Even the armed forces defending the west coast of California, specifically near San Francisco, found the wreckage of Rajita ships.

Air Force pilot, Nate Escobar, brought down a Rajita ship that crashed outside of San Francisco. This ship was taken to Beale Air Force Base, near Sacramento, for containment and study. The man behind these operations was Vice-Admiral Julius Bickens, also acting as the commanding officer.

The Vice-Admiral suffered a tragic loss when his wife, Chloe Bickens, lost her life amidst the Rajita attacks on San Francisco. In fact, it was believed to be the exact ship that Nate shot down and had sent to Beale AFB, but with the many Rajita ships that attacked the city there wouldn't be any way of knowing.

Chloe gave her life to protect hers and the Vice-Admiral's daughter, Andrea Bickens, from Rajita blasts. Having gone through a grieving period after the funeral, the 12-year-old moved in to live with her father on Beale AFB. With support from her father, Andrea was mentally on a road to recovery.

 **(End theme)**

xxxxx

 _ **Sacramento, California/Beale Air Force Base/December 6, 2003/9:30 AM**_

Once settling into her new room, Andrea Bickens tried to absorb her new environment. The 12-year-old was a modest 5'7 girl with wavy chestnut hair cut at a shoulder length. She wore a long-sleeved black cotton shirt, a blue jean skirt, and tennis shoes. She also wore a necklace with a cross hanging from it. Taking a glance out her window, she watched it stop raining.

"I know it'll take a while to adjust living on the base, Andrea," a voice belonging to a middle-aged man addressed his daughter kindly, shifting his tone to that a father than his usual authority voice.

Andrea turned with tears still in her eyes. She saw a man garbed in his Admiral wear.

She managed to smile even a little, wiping her tears. "Yeah, I know, dad. I just miss being home and all my friends I left behind."

"Think of this as a fresh start, Andrea. Your mother would want you to be happy and you'll probably find living here to have its rewards?"

"Yeah, maybe," she sat down on her bed. "I just need some rest."

"Of course, I'll be downstairs if you need me, Andrea."

As she curled up on the bed, Andrea watched her father leave and close the door on his way out. She turned over and cried herself to mourn for her mother's passing. It would be another month for the girl to recover completely from her grieving period.

All she could see in her sleep was the day the Rajita ships leveled sections of her old neighborhood. She could remember some of the neighbors being blasted by the alien ships. But, the horrific images of her mother taking a blast and laying dead burned into her mind. This would make Andrea wake up in cold sweat.

Recovery would be difficult, but Andrea would overcome this.

xxxxx

 _ **Beale Air Force Base/Bickens Residence/January 12, 2004/3:30 PM**_

Andrea returned from her first day at school. She found going to a school on base wasn't too different from her old school, except the kids were all military brats. She no longer felt out of place being the only military brat in her old school classes.

As Andrea started toward the house, she overheard her father responding to his cell and talking to one of his colleagues.

"...yes, I've just returned from picking my daughter up on her first day to school," Vice-Admiral Bickens answered, nodding a few times. "They managed to recover a downed invader ship from San Francisco? And being transported here?"

Before turning the knob, Andrea paused and listened.

"Am I hearing this correct? Stonebagel Enterprises won a contract to build a containment here? Yes, I'll be on my way to meet with Mr. Stonebagel." As he closed his cell, he faced Andrea with an apologetic look. "Andrea, I'm afraid we'll have to cook dinner another night. I've received a call. There's some business to be conducted."

Andrea nodded with a dejected look. "Yeah, ok, dad. You're a Vice-Admiral, you're very busy."

"I could take you with me if you're willing to wait for me?"

"Really? Ok then! We're dining out after you finish. Deal, dad?"

The Vice-Admiral kindly responded to his daughter's demands. "Ok, but only if we get out early."

"Yes! And I get to choose this time!"

"All right, all right, you win, Andrea. Let's get going because they're expecting me."

As they got into the car, Andrea reflected on his phone conversation. She wondered if this in fact was that same ship that attacked and killed her mother.

xxxxx

 _ **Office/Beale Air Force Base/4:15 PM**_

"Michael Stonebagel, I presume?" The Vice Admiral addressed a tall man with a shaven head and garbed in business wear. "I take it you're the one assigned the project to build that containment facility?"

Michael responded in kind with a handshake. "Yes, for the Beale base. You're..."

"Vice-Admiral Bickens. Come, I'll escort you where you can meet with my colleagues and superiors."

"Thank you. I have a son who's sitting in the office with some girl."

"Oh, that would be my daughter. She's waiting for me after we finish conducting our business. So, tell me have you moved on the base?"

"Me and my family just now moved to a place off-base closer to here."

"I see. Well, come let's go and discuss matters on the containment facility."

xxxxx

Left alone in a waiting area were Andrea and a teenage boy, approximately 15-years-old, with thick brown hair. She kept to herself reading a book. However, Marty looked visibly miffed over no reason. Andrea closed her book and turned to him.

"Hey, are you ok? That was your dad meeting with my dad, right?"

"Yeah, he's here to meet about building that facility. Your dad's a officer?"

"He's a Vice-Admiral. Hey, why are you so upset?" She asked, casually approaching him. She smiled to him. "You can tell me anything, I won't tell."

"I'm upset because we had to move. Since dad's been assigned work here, that means we had to move closer to the base and I'm been removed from all my friends back home."

"Well, where did you live?"

"Los Angeles. My dad's company, Stonebagel Enterprises, is headquartered in San Francisco, though my dad now is working out of a Los Angeles branch."

"No way, that's where I lived, too! Then, the alien attacks happened and I moved here on base to live with my dad."

"And your mom?"

Andrea's lowered her face, conveying a saddened look. "Sh-She died during the attack."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Marty was shocked to hear this detail.

"Thanks, it's taken me a month to recover. I'm mostly better now and just started a new school. Today was my first day," Andrea smirked as she sat next to Marty. "I never got your name?"

"Marty Stonebagel."

"I'm Andrea Bickens! Nice to meet you!" She offered a handshake.

Marty shook her hand and chuckled. "Your hands are really soft."

"Are they? Maybe because I just washed them?" Andrea visibly blushed. _Wow, he's so cute up close._

He looked at her dumbfounded. "You're looking at me weird."

"Oh, sorry if I'm creeping you out! I didn't mean to...!" Andrea turned away.

"Is there anything fun to do on this base?"

"Oh, well, I can tour you around? Better than sitting here, right?"

Taking Andrea's kind offer, Marty chuckled and nodded. "Sure, why not? I'd rather do something than being bored outta my mind." He walked out with Andrea and watched soldiers jogging on the base.

"Ready? I'll be your tour guide."

"Sure, show me around, Andrea."

Andrea and Marty exchanged smiles, forging the beginning of a new friendship.

xxxxx

 _ **Containment Facility/Beale Air Force Base/September 23, 2004/10:30 PM**_

Over eight months later, the new containment facility housing the Rajita ship was completed. Ever since January when she heard about a Rajita ship being transported to the base's containment facility, a morbid curiosity grabbed Andrea.

She wanted to know if it was the exact ship that cost her mother's life.

 **(Cue Toonami OST –** _ **Spy**_ **)**

On this night, Andrea, now 13-years-old, would get to bottom of this. Wearing dark clothing, she blended in well with the darkness and headed toward the specific containment facility housing the Rajita spaceship. When the guards weren't looking, Andrea managed to sneak in undetected and waited behind vehicles for soldiers to open a door. When one soldier walked out to get fresh air, Andrea stealthily slipped in and kept in the shadows. Being a military brat had its advantages, including getting off field training and studying military tactics.

 _It has to be in here!_ Andrea thought and overheard two soldiers conversing about a particular 'extraterrestrial spacecraft'.

"Ever wonder what they're planning to do with the tech in that spaceship?" An African American soldier inquired to his colleague.

The other soldier, a Caucasian, replied. "Make new weapons for us? Don't know. It's not our place to dig too deep."

 _Looks like those two were just leaving the spaceship. Hope for my sake it's been left alone._ Andrea sat still waiting for the soldiers to walk by.

When the soldiers did walk outside the facility, Andrea slipped past undetected and beelined toward the room keeping the Rajita spaceship. She stared in awe at the Rajita spaceship. Her mind flash backed to the spaceship that blasted her neighborhood, fired a beam that killed her mother, and left her scarred since then.

She walked around the Rajita spaceship and discerned to confirm her suspicion of it being the same ship.

"I can't even tell if it's the same ship," she muttered, meticulously eyeing the ship. As she approached the ship, she felt a cold chill and stepped back. Something was holding her back from infiltrating the ship. _What's holding me back? Maybe it was a bad idea to come here?_

Suddenly, she heard the soldiers she saw coming back.

"Better save this another time..." Andrea muttered before breaking into a run out of the containment facility. "But, not the last time." And she would live up to that promise in due time.

 **(End theme)**

xxxxx

 _ **Andrea's Room/November 28, 2008/7:00 PM**_

Years passed since her first infiltration of the facility, but it wasn't her last. She went back a few times to view the Rajita ship to confirm her suspicions. Not only did her 17th birthday pass, but this month marked the 5th anniversary of her mother's death.

Tonight, Andrea planned to get into the facility again.

However, in order to do that, she had to wait for her father to leave for a banquet.

Andrea, now 5'10 since age 15, jumped at the knock on her door. She put away the map of the containment facility and put on her headphones while reading a book.

"Come in, dad."

Admiral Bickens opened the the door and answered. "I'm just checking in. You probably remember I have the banquet tonight."

"I know. You've told me a dozen times," she replied, genuinely smiling and taking off her headphones.

"You know you were invited to join me..."

"Nah, maybe next time. I've got some studying to do."

"On a Friday night?" He was taken aback by Andrea's matter-of-factly response. "Well, you are quite the studious person. That was one of your mother's best qualities. It's no surprise you take after her in that respect."

Mentioning Chloe silenced them both momentarily.

"Sorry..."

"It's ok, dad. I don't have any plans tonight and want to finish as much as I can to free up my weekend."

"I see. Well, you have my number in case you need me, Andrea."

Nodding, Andrea held up her cell phone. "Got it, dad. You go and have fun."

Giving a smile to his daughter, Admiral Bickens closed his door on his way out.

 **(Cue Toonami OST –** _ **Alien**_ **)**

As she heard her father's car pulling away from their driveway, she poked her head out see the car leaving for the banquet. She closed her book, put on her stealth clothes, and took some essentials for the base infiltration.

"No more holding back. I'm getting into that ship one way or another." She said, tying her hair behind her head.

xxxxx

 _ **Containment Facility/Beale Air Force Base/8:45 PM**_

Upon arriving outside the base, Andrea stayed low until security loosened and guards left their posts to alternate. She checked her watch to keep track of the time when the banquet is supposed to end.

She eyed a truck carrying loads and decided to not to drag things out any further. She hopped onto the back of the cargo truck. When the truck stopped, Andrea slipped out behind barrels. She quickly tucked her head as two soldiers came passing by. She waited a few moments and pivoted over to the containment facility.

"There it is," she muttered and bolted toward the containment facility. She waited for the same door she used to get in to open. When the door opened, she saw a technician walk out and she made her way inside without so much of a peep.

She entered the containment room and looked up at the Rajita ship. She looked around to see and tried looking for security cameras. From the corner of her eye, she sighted a security camera she hadn't seen before and hid behind some crates.

"Since when did they install a security camera?" She wondered, her heart raced. "Easy, Andrea. I really hope that camera didn't see me!" She slowly poked her head and saw the camera shifting away. "Now or never." She raced up the ramp into the Rajita ship. She barrel rolled inside and scanned inside the alien spacecraft.

She noticed some devices that had been installed by soldiers.

"Seems they've been hard at work," Andrea whispered, taking out her cellphone to snap pictures of the inner workings inside the ship. She walked down a narrow corridor and explored more of the alien spacecraft. "Wow, this is incredible. Can't believe how high tech this ship is! They're totally light years ahead of us!" She looked at a monitor and saw green static. "I bet you've scoured this whole place more times than I can count, dad. Lucky." She snapped some photos and put her cellphone away. Just then, she turned to her right and got her foot stuck on something. She pulled and accidentally tripped, pulling a hose loose. "What?!"

 **(End theme)**

She landed facefirst on steel and cringed in pain. But, that wasn't the worst of it. The hose she accidentally tripped over released gas. She coughed hard as green mist covered her.

"Wh-What's that? It's covering me!" Andrea cried out between coughs. She hacked and coughed as the green gas bathed her in a glowing, green gaseous reactor coolant. "Augh! Help me! Somebody!" She cried out but the mist drowned out her screams, preventing anyone from listening for her cries for help.

 **(Cue Madoka Magica OST –** _ **Black Shadow**_ **)**

She closed her eyes and crawled her way out. Feeling drained from exposure to the reactor coolant, she weakly passed out, unable to cry out for help.

But, then something in her mind just clicked.

Her distress allowed her to willfully invoke a new ability she never had before.

She sent a telepathic distress to the one closest to her.

 _Dad! Help! Please, help me!_

xxxxx

 _ **Banquet/9:20 PM**_

Admiral Bickens was conversing with colleagues until he abruptly paused and heard his daughter's voice.

"Andrea?" He was taken aback, quickly looking around. He didn't see his daughter anywhere in the banquet.

 _'DAD! PLEASE, HELP ME!'_

Dropping his champagne glass, the Admiral briefly spaced out hearing Andrea's voice in his mind.

"Andrea?"

The other colleagues were confused with Admiral Bickens' sudden disturbance.

 _'...the containment facility... alien ship...'_

As he pieced the clues together, he instinctively ran out of the party and heads out to the containment facility.

"Andrea, I'm coming!"

xxxxx

 _ **Containment Facility/Beale Air Force Base/9:45 PM**_

Once the Admiral arrived, he went inside the facility and called for personnel. He raced ahead into the alien spacecraft.

"Andrea!" The man worryingly called for his daughter. To his horror, he saw Andrea laying unconscious with a pale complexion. "No!" He picked up his daughter. "Andrea, wake up! Andrea!" As soon as personnel came, he demanded for a medical team to come.

Andrea barely opened her eyes. She clarified her blurred vision and briefly caught glimpses of her father.

"Dad...?"

She shut her eyes and fell unconscious once again. The man's pleas fell on deaf ears.

 **(End theme)**

xxxxx

 _ **Beale Hospital/December 1, 2008/11:50 PM**_

She finally awoke after three straight days. Andrea awoke laying in a hospital bed. Her father sat beside her all this time, not once leaving and neglecting his duties just to see if his daughter would ever awaken.

"Andrea, thank god!" The Admiral embraced his daughter, who was confused how he was able to find her. "I was worried. I thought you'd never awaken! You had me worried!"

She returned a loving embrace and lied back.

"The doctors said you might've not awakened. I was worried I'd lose you like your mother. I couldn't bear to take another loss..."

"Dad, how did you find me?" She inquired to her father.

The Admiral replied frankly. "Well, just call it a fatherly instinct."

"Oh?" Andrea was dumbfounded.

"That's not too farfetched to believe?"

Andrea wasn't sure to take this at face value. Her father was on the other side of Beale attending a banquet, several miles from the containment facility. She deduced there's no feasible way he'd know where she'd be in the facility, much less sneaking into the Rajita ship without consent.

On top of that, the whole idea of telepathy, which she presumably demonstrated, was farfetched for to believe as well. She remembered being exposed to the reactor coolant from the ship after tripping over a hose. She also remembered being exposed to the green gas.

Unbeknownst to Andrea, being exposed to the alien substance granted her a new 'special' ability.

xxxxx

 _ **Beale Hospital/December 7, 2008/8:30 AM**_

 **(Cue Toonami OST –** _ **Rise Up**_ **)**

Not even a few days have passed and Andrea was beginning to have accounts of hearing voices. However, she didn't tell her father or the doctors about these 'voices' flooding her mind. Hearing all these 'voices' hurt and disturbed her. In order to even get sleep or have peaceful thoughts, she drowned out these 'voices' with loud music.

In time, the loud music helped and allowed her to get consistent sleep. She carried around her iPod everywhere she went to keep the 'voices' out of her head, even during medical tests.

She wondered if the exposure to the gas might've done this. Might've given her an enhanced special ability to hear other people's thoughts. She wasn't sure because she had drowned the voices with the loud music.

Andrea hopped off from her bed and turned on her music.

"This has gotta be telepathy. There's no denying it," Andrea deduced, closing her mind as the faint voices seemingly faded away. A smile adorned her face. "I can hear other people's thoughts. It wasn't that long ago I heard a bunch of voices in my head, but that music helped get rid of most of those voices. Now I can control what I can or don't want to hear. And I can project my voice in other people's minds... sounds creepy, but had I not used to to warn my dad, who knows if I'd be worse off." She reflected and believed in hindsight using telepathy helped save her life from an even worse fate.

Four days later and Andrea was finally discharged from the hospital. Her prior tests showed her vitals were clear. There were no signs of radioactivity and poisoning that could endanger her life. Though relieved with initial test results, Admiral Bickens still worried for his daughter's well being. Despite his fears, Andrea's speedy recovery was a good sign, or perhaps it was a sign Andrea's biology was internally changing.

xxxxx

 _ **Beale Air Force Base/Bickens Residence/February 14, 2009/8:30 AM**_

After a long jog around several blocks, Andrea took off her earphones as she hummed some songs. Since her hospital discharge, she experimented with various types of music; everything from classical, pop, rock, and metal. Then, she finally found the perfect music to alleviate her problems. She figured out that house/trance/techno music worked best at drowning out the voices.

From there, she worked her way through the world of house music before one night stumbling on an underground website that posted music by an artist named DJ Songblade. Curious, Andrea tried her music. Not only did she become an instant fan of her, but found her music worked the best at drowning out the voices.

She was able to return to normal activity thanks to DJ Songblade. Now, she was able to single out individual voices from the noise, but she still hadn't learned to shut them out completely.

"Now I don't have a ton of thoughts flooding into my head, but they're not completely gone. But, at least I found music that can help. Thanks, DJ Songblade," Andrea whispered, sitting down on a bench outside her home. Taking a sip from her bottled water, Andrea relaxed. "I feel like I have a ton of more energy. I feel stronger, too, thanks to that alien stuff getting in me." She smiled and jumped off the bench, stretching her arms over her head. "I feel like I'm a new me! I just hope I don't further mutate and grow horns, sharp teeth, or my skin turns green or something."

She sighed and closed her eyes. "I wish I could tell dad about my powers, but I don't know how he'd react. Would he disown me?" She mulled over the possibilities of what could happen if she told the truth. She feared instant rejection, or worse becoming the military's lab rat. "No, my dad would never do that to me. I just need to keep this to myself." She used mind reading to scan her father's thoughts. "Ok, dad, let's see what's for dinner tonight... ah, man! Roast beef and asparagus again!" She thought to herself. _Note to self: remind dad to forget the asparagus!_

 **(End theme)**

xxxxx

 _ **Restaurant/March 26, 2009/7:55 PM**_

Andrea celebrated her 18th birthday, which interestingly enough is six days before Marty turns 21. Marty invited Andrea to join him for dinner to celebrate.

Marty, now with a buzz cut he's had since his baseball playing days in high school, and Andrea ordered water glasses to start off their dinner.

 **(Cue Madoka Magica OST -** _ **Confessio**_ **)**

"A toast to us, our birthdays, and our futures," Marty said as he and Andrea raised their glasses to one another.

After drinking water, they chatted and laughed together, talking about their week. Marty revealed he'd be inheriting his shares of Stonebagel Enterprises. Andrea merely told him about another mundane week of school and awaiting graduation day.

"Ah, you got bit by the senioritis bug, huh?" Marty teased her.

"So, what if I am? I haven't slacked off from my studies that much!" Andrea blushed, quickly downing her glass of water. "I'm still one of the school's top test scorers!"

"Relax, I'm just playing, Andrea."

"Sure you are," she shook her head, stifling a soft giggle. As she looked to her right, she watched a visual screen broadcasting news coverage from the recent attacks in Japan. There was filmed footage of Gallantmon clashing with ChaosGallantmon; other footage showed Suzakato gliding around, the Kuiper Senshi engaging Neo-Rajita soldiers, and numerous shots of Duel Monsters & Digimon fighting invaders. "Huh...?" Her eyes fell on the screen showing the ongoing battles of the 'Dawn of Chaos' conflict.

"Andrea?"

"Huh? Oh, sorry, Marty!" Andrea turned facing him, openly apologizing. She saw him smiling, causing her to blush. His presence made her unable to confess her feelings for him. _I've known you for several years ever since I was 12. What? That's five years! You became my closest friend... so close that I've developed a crush on you. I've wanted to tell you how much I appreciate all you've done. But, there's no way of knowing if I don't know what you're thinking._ She raised her eyes to Marty's level and probed his mind.

And what she read shocked her.

 _You seriously don't think of me as... just a sister?! Is that how you really think of me?!_ Andrea spaced out, garnering concern from Marty.

"Andrea, are you ok?" He asked. "Do you need more water?"

"...no," Andrea replied, feeling dejected as she asked the waiter for more water. "Say, Marty, you think I'll find myself a good career after I graduate? You've been going through college. Is it hard?"

"Depends. It's a lot of work, but if there's anyone I know who'll do fine in college, it's you. Just think of what you want to do for your future, Andrea."

"Thanks, Marty," she looked in the eye and smiled. "For all the support you've given me. Now let's enjoy our evening out." She raised her water glass to him.

"Amen to that," he said, drinking his glass to her success.

As much as she tried hard to be happy, Andrea was dejected learning what Marty really thought of her. She questioned her crush on him and start viewing him as a brother instead. Conflicted emotions took its toll on her.

 _I have to tell you how I really feel, but what's holding me back? Am I afraid you'll reject me if I tell the truth? Andrea, you big idiot._ She chastised herself in thought.

 **(End theme)**

xxxxx

 _ **Beale Air Force Base/Bickens Residence/July 2, 2009/4:50 PM**_

Shortly after his return from Japan, Marty, now sporting a more professional appearance in business wear, went to Beale to deliver the report Cain gave him. Before making his leave off-base, he went by the Bickens residence and knocked on the door. Andrea opened the door and she became elated to see him.

"Hey, Marty!"

"Hi, Andrea, how have you been since post-graduation?"

"Eh, been taking it easy. I've been looking at universities around Sacramento and even went back to San Francisco," Andrea twiddled her thumbs. "Y'know check out schools of interest to me and to see my mom again." She alluded to seeing her mother's grave.

"I see."

"So, how was Japan? Man, you're so lucky to go there!"

"Lots to see, but I was mostly there for business."

"I see," she said, looking up at Marty's eye level and read his mind. To her surprise, she couldn't read his mind for some reason. She tried again. Same result. This astounded her. _I can't hear his thoughts! What's going on? He shouldn't be able to block me out from reading his mind!_

"Andrea? Are you feeling ok?"

"Yeah..." She replied as she could no longer hear the other voices that'd she normally hear. _I can't even hear the other voices I usually hear! This isn't adding up!_ She let Marty into her house as they walked into the dining room. The closer she approached Marty, the voices weren't as loud. "Did you want anything? Tea? Water?"

"Got lemonade?"

"Yeah," she went into the kitchen to pour them two cups of lemonade. When she returned with their cups, she set hers on the dining table and handed Marty his. When her hand touched his, the other voices in her mind cut off completely. _The voices... they're all gone! I can't hear anything, not even Marty's thoughts!_

"Andrea, are you going to drink yours?"

"Huh? Oh, thanks for reminding me!" Andrea chuckled like a dork and sat down, picking up her lemonade cup to drink.

After a few sips, Marty raised a brow and inquired to his friend. "Is everything ok, Andrea? Ever since our birthday dinner, you've been acting weird. Even weirder than usual."

"You've noticed..." Andrea blinked thrice. "It's just a phase, Marty. Nothing more."

Marty chuckled, rolling his eyes. "If you say so."

"Hey, do you want to go see a movie with me? I know you're busy during the week and starting to run your dad's company, but... I was thinking about the weekends. We could depend more time...?" She nervously asked him.

Marty set his cup down and sighed. "All right, I think I can take off during weekends. I can let you decide what you want to see today?"

"Al right, but you know better than letting me decide," Andrea patted his back so hard she nearly made him spit out his lemonade. "Whoops, sorry!"

"It's all right," Marty took out her handkerchief and cleaned the lemonade he spilled on his pants.

"I'm such an idiot."

"No, don't say that..." Marty sighed. "Should I wait for you to get dressed?"

"Nah, I'm good to go now."

"Then, let's go."

Andrea watched him getting up fast as if he were in a hurry. She wondered if she said anything that could've upset him.

xxxxx

 _ **July 26,2009/11:30 PM**_

After hanging out every weekend for a whole month, frustration had taken its toll on Marty. After a movie night out, Marty and Andrea reached her home.

"Thanks for the movie, Marty. I'm really happy hanging out with you the whole month..."

Marty let out a deep sigh and turned off his car. Andrea sensed distress emanating from Marty and reached over to him.

"Marty?" She was taken aback when Marty took her hand and looked her dead in the eyes. "What's the meaning of this?"

"Are you happy enough, Andrea?" He asked in a miffed tone.

"What do you mean?"

"I've had to sacrifice all my weekends just to devote time to you. The rest of the week I've had to devote all my time to work and studies, I don't even have free time to myself anymore."

Andrea furrowed her brows. "I don't like the tone you're giving me, Marty. Let me go." She demanded.

Marty let Andrea's hand go, but maintained a hardened glare.

"What's really going on, Andrea? Tell me what's been happening with you. You've been getting needy and clingy towards me. Just tell me the truth, Andrea. Is everything ok?"

"I'm fine, Marty..." She hesitated.

"What is it? Out with it, Andrea, please!"

Taken aback by his harsh but worrying tone, Andrea teared up a little and nodded.

"All right, Marty, if you want to know... if you really want to know..." She stammered, indicating anxiety in her voice. "I'll tell you everything, but please... what I'm about to tell you. Don't tell anyone else and most of all..." She grasped his hands. "Don't judge me for what I'm about to tell you."

"I'm listening."

 **(Cue Guilty Crown OST –** _ **Bios**_ **)**

"You see..." Andrea confessed everything relating to how she used to sneak into the containment facility to see the Rajita ship, how she got exposed to the coolant; she even had to specify that her father had to cover up for the most part, except for the base doctor who examined her afterwards, and being sworn to doctor/patient confidentiality. She told Marty all about the other 'voices' and how she's better when she's near him. "When I'm around you, I feel better... I don't even hear those voices... you see, I've always had a crush on you, Marty! I read your mind and I know you only think of me like a sister! You're free to feel that way, but I think of you of more than just that!" She paused, taking a few deep breaths. "I can't stop thinking about you, Marty."

Marty was almost at a loss for words by Andrea's confession. He didn't know what to think at first. Between her getting exposed to the coolant, which mutated her subtly and granting her telekinetic/telepathic powers. His trip from Japan exposed him to the superpowered beings that ran rampant there like it were another Tuesday. But, he never would've suspected his closest friend gaining abilities.

But, Marty, too, was hiding a secret from her.

"Andrea," he said, softening his tone and placing his hands on her shoulders. He looked her in the eyes. "I only thought of you like a sister because I thought you thought of me as a brother. To learn this... I don't know what to say..."

"I'm sorry for keeping this from you, Marty," she wiped her tears. "I just didn't want you to think I should move on from having hopeless crushes."

"We'll think about our relationship later, Andrea, but believe me when I say your crush for me is not entirely hopeless."

Andrea pressed her hands on her chest, feeling her heart beating. "Marty, I..."

"Now, there's something I want to tell you. Remember that trip to Japan?"

"Yeah?"

"Well, it wasn't entirely a business trip. I went there to find my cousin, who I discovered has special abilities... and what's more..." Marty explained the events of his Japan trip, including being exposed to the coolant he was asked to transport for Cain Bearer. "And I think that's why you can't read my mind anymore. Whatever ability I've gained, it's weird to explain, but somehow I think I might something that nullifies other people's powers from effecting me. For instance, I was able to take some guy who had electrical powers blast and I didn't take any damage. Not even a scratch. Heck, I was able to see through a transformed person's identity. For instance, I confronted a girl who happened to be a Sailor Senshi. To my shock, I saw through her real civilian identity. That Sailor Senshi happened to be my cousin's girlfriend. I swore not to tell her identity on their behalf."

"That's good," Andrea smiled, nodding in approval. "I knew you wouldn't."

"But, a part of me should've..."

"What?"

"Never mind, in the end it didn't matter. I didn't give out her identity and left them alone. Besides, it's my cousin and I wanted to see him again."

"So, now you think me differently just because I can read people's minds?"

"No," he replied, putting a hand on her cheek. "Of course not, this doesn't change anything between us."

"Just so you can trust me, I'll try keeping my telepathy in check, but sometimes hearing different voices in my head gives me headaches. I have to rely on music to drown out the voices."

"Maybe I can help you shut off those voices?"

"You can try."

"Never hurts to try. We can train together."

"Thanks, Marty," she hugged him.

Nodding, Marty hugged her back. "I'll help, but, look... I can't keep doing this dating thing every weekend. Sometimes work will come up and there'll be times when I need time to myself to relax. Understand?"

"Yeah, I know and I'm sorry for putting you through all this stress for me."

"It's ok, Andrea. But, despite what I just said, I'll agree and try to come around more often. I'll even call you before I come. You always have my number."

"Yeah," Andrea smiled as Marty leaned over to kiss her cheek.

"Take care, Andrea. Get some rest and I'll let you know when I'll be in town again."

Blushing, Andrea returned a kiss. "You, too, Marty. Goodnight." She opened the car door and walked out. As she reached her door, she turned and whispered. "Love you."

Marty could discern her lip movements and smiled.

Andrea resolved and hurried back to Marty's car.

"Marty, this might sound crazy, but I had an idea..."

"Funny, I just had an inkling of one myself."

"We both have special powers. What if there are others like us? There just has to be."

"Think we should look for them?"

Andrea winked. "Why not?"

They exchanged smiles as they started having an inkling of an idea that could potentially blossom into something big in the next phase of their lives.

xxxxx

 _Flash forward to present_

xxxxx

 _ **San Francisco, California/April 27, 2010/San Francisco University Off-Campus/10:30 AM**_

After being dismissed from his morning class, Lance Canebrook, a 19 year old tall 5'9 dark-haired teen, headed out to get brunch and study for his upcoming final exams. He wore a white shirt under a buttoned up black shirt, khaki pants, and blue shoes. On his way out, he paused and sighted a familiar face.

Andrea, also 19, approached him, in a friendly manner. "Hey, Lance! Just got out of class?"

"Yeah, I'm heading out to get some brunch and study for finals," Lance replied, genuinely smiling to her. "Would you like to join me?"

"Wish I could, but I got some errands to run and someone to meet."

"It's fine. Maybe next time?"

Andrea nodded with an upbeat smile. "Sure, I've love to! Enjoy your lunch and study hard. I bet those exams will be tough."

"After this whole freshmen year, I think I'll do fine. See you later then?"

"Yeah, take care," Andrea said, watching Lance leave campus. Her smile switched to a serious demeanor. "Ever since I enrolled here, I've heard that peculiar voice and I've traced the source to Lance. There's something in Lance's mind trying to reach him. I wonder if he knows about it? And if there's some inherent power he hasn't discovered yet." She decided to follow him but very discretely. "I wonder if you'd let someone like Lance join us, Marty?"

 **(End theme)**

xxxxx

Lance walked several blocks over to get to his favorite hang-out spot whenever he needs to eat. Unbeknownst to him, Andrea was closing on his location. As he walked into the cafe, Andrea stayed low profile.

"Man, I'm begging to know what I'm hearing in Lance's thoughts. Is he even aware?"

After ordering his lunch, Lance opened a book to review his notes for his history class. Once he delved deep into studying, he heard a low and faint voice in the back of his mind.

 _ **'...Lance...'**_

The college student poked his head up and frantically looked around. He only saw people talking to each other.

"Must be hearing things?"

 _ **'...you're not, Lance.'**_

"Who's there?" He whispered, pivoting around the cafe. "I must be losing my mind."

 _ **'Have you already forgotten me, Lance? I'm sad to hear this.'**_

"Who are you?!" Lance shouted so loud he accidentally garnered the attention of others, who looked at him like he were out of his mind. Embarrassed, he sunk back into his seat and leaned his face into his history book. _Ok, whatever that was... just my imagination. Need to focus on the exams!_

xxxxx

As she waited for nearly over an hour, Andrea got up and watched Lance leave the cafe.

"I hate to be stalking you, Lance, but I've gotta know who's in your head," Andrea whispered, walking on a parallel sidewalk opposite from Lance's side. _I finally heard that voice. Seems like he knows Lance. Whatever it is, there's a subtly strange power behind it. Lance, could you really be like one of us?_

xxxxx

 _ **San Francisco University Off-Campus/8:30 PM**_

Once dismissed from his evening class, Lance prepared to walk around campus for peace of mind and to mull over the voice that communicated with him. After wards, he opted to go back to the dorms instead of going to the campus library.

As for Andrea, she stayed close but in the shadows. She waited to probe Lance's mind and try to figure out the disembodied voice that's been 'speaking' with him.

"All right, Lance, one way or another I'm going to figure out who's been chatting with you," Andrea adamantly stated.

As Lance walked away, Andrea waited to move and stay on his tail without being suspected.

However, those plans were about to be shot and thrown to the wayside.

A red flare beamed near the ground and caught Andrea off guard. She paused and turned around to see bright flashes of red light flaring up. Before Andrea had a chance to see who it was...

The source behind the red flares spoke with a cybernetic voice.

" _Meta-Human located. Surrender now or be taken by force._ "

 _What?! Oh no!_ Andrea's thoughts were immediately cut off as a the cybernetic being fired a beam near her.

xxxxx

Lance had walked so far off from Andrea he didn't suspect what was going to happen next. Then, another 'voice', but that of Andrea's suddenly called to him.

 _'Lance! I'm being pursued! Lance!'_

He paused and before he could say anything...

 _ **Boom!**_

He heard an explosion quickly erupt yards from where he was. He whirled around and sighted the explosion create a clearing for him. He was able to see Andrea running toward him with an aghast look on her face.

 **(Cue Metal Gear Solid OST –** _ **Encounter**_ **)**

"Andrea! What's going on?! What happened back there?!" Lance asked, but Andrea grabbed his hand and dragged him along. "Andrea! What was that explosion?!"

"No time to explain! Keep running! I need to get you out of here!" Andrea cried out, running along with Lance. "And don't look behind you! The thing's after me."

"Was that you talking to me in my head?"

"Yes, I'm telepathic and no I didn't have this gift all my life."

"Never thought you did, but thanks for telling me."

Andrea and Lance continued running. The explosion caused enough of a commotion for students to walk out of their dorms and facilities to notice the property destroyed by the machine.

"What the hell was that?!" A male student, Hispanic, wondered, pointing to the ravaged property.

"What did that?" Another male student, African, shared the same concern.

A female student, Caucasian, pointed to Andrea and Lance running off. "Wasn't that Lance? Who's that girl with him? They're being chased by something!"

As Andrea and Lance continued running, Andrea looked over her shoulder briefly to get a glimpse of their pursuer. She couldn't properly discern what it was, but it was obviously not a human. She saw a silver-bodied humanoid machine with frill-like extensions covering the sides of its head. A white globe-shaped symbol gleamed brightly on its forehead. There was also a CainCorp logo visibly seen as well as a ' _ **SOUJA-03**_ ' emblem.

The Souja's eyes were yellow and possessed a lack of soul. The machine fired another beam, this time knocking Andrea and Lance back, sending them crashing to the ground.

"Ugh!" Lance grunted as he hit the ground hard. He shook it off and turned to Andrea, who was barely getting up. "Andrea!"

The Souja ignored Lance's presence and painstakingly kept its soulless glare on Andrea. It walked over to grab her, but Andrea's powers instinctively kicked in and her eyes turned white.

"Lance, I didn't want you to see this, but I can't let any harm come to you and me!" She became bathed in a green aura, which converted into pink. To Lance's shock, she seemed to split herself up, creating at least four doppelgangers. The Andrea clones amassed and moved around, shifting the real Andrea around and confusing the machine.

The Souja scanned each Andrea, only to pick up similar bio signatures.

Somewhat flabbergasted, Lance shook his head. "Oh man..." However, he couldn't be entirely shocked. He had been desensitized from being possessed by Pharaohmon and witnessed superpowered people. Granted, he didn't count on Andrea being gifted with special abilities.

 _Lance, get out of here! This machine is coming after me!_ She ordered him telepathically.

"Are you crazy? I'm not leaving you behind!"

"Did you hear what I just said?!"

Lance nodded and stepped back. "Yeah, but..." _Man, I hate to say it, but it's times like this I was still bonded with Pharaohmon, but definitely not as a bad guy! But, Andrea seems to have this covered._ "Andrea, if you survive this, you gotta tell me how this happened!"

The machine fired a blast toward the Andrea clones. They quickly moved around, causing the machine to launch stray blasts and kept firing on her. However, the real Andrea moved away from her clones.

"Let's see how you like this!" Andrea shouted, focusing so much power in her mind that she unleashed telekinesis blasts in conjunction with her clone's punches and kicks.

The Souja was dealt with a double dose of telekinetic blasts coupled with hard-hitting punches and kicks that pierced off the machine's armor.

 _Yeah, looks like my training's paying off!_ Andrea focused hard, pushing herself and her clones to neutralize the machine.

As Lance prepared to run, something took hold of his body and caused him to double over.

 **(End theme)**

"What now?!" Lance cried out, finding himself bathed in a royal purple aura. He noticed the aura thicken and covering him all over. _What's going on? I can't move! And what's with the glow?!_

 _ **'Lance, do you recognize my voice?'**_

Lance gasped once the disembodied voice reached to him again.

 _ **'You're starting to realize who I am? Yes, indeed we were once bonded. It has been a long time ago, hasn't it, Lance Canebrook?'**_

 _Pharaohmon?! No, you can't be... you're..._

 _ **'Dead? And evil? There's a lot you don't know about the real me. The me that existed before being swayed by Valmarmon's darkness. I was never an entirely evil entity that wanted world conquest.'**_

 _Convince me._

'Pharaohmon' responded in kind. **'** _ **I speak to you having been purified thanks to my friend, Anubimon, the Digital Underworld lord. Ever since the heroes defeated my evil self at the Shadow Tournament, my good half was sent to the Underworld to be purified of my evil sins and I asked to be sealed on my request. Then, a villainous necromancer named Necromon took my soul and restored my original body. He corrupted me to do his evil bidding as his puppet. It wasn't long after that someone undid Necromon's control and slayed him, enabling me to become pure good.'**_

 _Is that a fact? Sounds like the powers that be in the Digital World allowed you to redeem yourself for your evil self's actions._

 _ **'Now back in my original body, I've helped Anubimon to collect and judge every digitized soul that comes our way. I've been fulfilling my duties and won over the trust of my colleagues again. As of late, you've been hearing voices and you've noticed just a little of my power coming to surface.'**_

Lance realized all the times he's been able to sense supernatural occurrences was due to Pharaohmon's power within him.

 _ **'Remnants of my power, though faint, remain in you. Now that you can hear my voice and your power is beginning to leak out to the surface, your soul and mine are about to resonate again. But, this can't happen unless a serious dilemma comes up that requires our souls to bond and resonate again.'**_

"Like right now," Lance turned and watched Andrea keeping the machine busy.

 _ **'Exactly, Lance. Now, do you wish to help her?**_ **'**

"She seems to be holding her own."

 _ **'But for how long? How long will she be able to hold out against this machine?'**_

"How can I be sure you and me can be compatible again if we're to unite?"

 _ **'If you wish to save her...'**_

Nodding, Lance's resolve allowed his aura to expand and something emerged in front of him. A visage of Good Pharaohmon materialized in the form of a tiny soul. Lance and Good Pharaohmon made contact. Suddenly, Lance's cellphone came floating out of his pocket. Pharaohmon poked the cellphone, causing burst of light to pop out of the screen. A small Digivice, akin to the Tamers' D-Arks, came out with silver embellishments on the sides and small screen with the words ' _ **Bio-Merge Evolution**_ ' glowing on it.

Lance stared in awe as the Digivice fell in his hands.

"You're kidding..."

 _ **'This Digivice is burden proof of our partnership. I asked Anubimon to have the Digi-Gnomes grant my wish. Do you wish for us to reunite?'**_

The young man was hesitant to speak, remembering being the Evil Pharaohmon's meat puppet. He's had severe trust issues with a Digimon that once used him to commit evil deeds.

 _ **'I ask again, are you ready for us to reunite? I do sense doubt in you, but trust me when I reassure you... I'm not the evil fiend I was the last time our souls resonated.'**_

"I'm don't even know if I want to... but... my friend's fighting that thing alone! I don't know how she got powers... and I don't care! I don't want to see her get hurt!" Coming to grips over his past issues, Lance resolved. "I'm not letting Andrea fight that robot alone! Judgment can come later. Just give me the power to help Andrea!" As he grabbed the Pharaohmon soul orb, an immense ray of spiritual light enveloped him.

 **(Cue Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker OST –** _ **Main Theme**_ **)**

Having taken notice of Lance merging with the odd light, Andrea gasped. _He's merging with that light! Could it be from that voice he's been talking to?_ She had probed Lance's mind amidst her fight with the machine. _Pharaohmon, huh? Hope he can help turn the tide here!_

With her guard down, the machine fired a blast toward Andrea. The psychic doppelgangers took the blast for Andrea. Andrea took cover as the blast dissolved her clones. She prepared to summon another set of psychic clones, but the machine unleashed a rope that ensnared her right arm.

"Augh, let go!" Andrea tried breaking loose, but the machine tightened the rope and started reeling her in. "I'm not going with you! Let go!"

" _Prepare for relocation, Meta._ " The Souja spoke as it started to take off into the air with its captive.

 _ **Bam!**_

Suddenly, a resounding blow came out of nowhere and punched the machine's head, turning it completely sideways. Andrea watched as a blade made of energy chopped the rope in half, cutting Andrea loose.

"Whoa, what the heck?!" Andrea gasped upon seeing a fifteen-foot high behemoth bathed in royal purple light standing behind her. As the light faded away, she saw a titan that resembled an ancient Egyptian sarcophagus fitting for a pharaoh. His body was covered in gold embellishments and steel armor. His sarcophagus mask doubled as armor and a shield to use. His face, reinforced with steel armor, was concealed behind this mask. Mesmerized by her savior, she barely made out. "...L-Lance?!" She probed his mind and sighed when she sensed his mental presence. "Thank goodness, it's you, but how did this happen?"

"Lance and I have merged through Biomergence," the Pharaohmon figure spoke using Lance's voice. "Pharaohmon is control of our actions, but I'm the voice in his head. Andrea, are you ok?"

Andrea smiled and nodded. "Yes, thanks to you... and um, Pharaohmon?"

"Call us BioPharaohmon now."

As BioPharaohmon bumrushed the Souja, they grappled and threw each other around. BioPharaohmon planted his feet to the ground and slammed the machine down, landing heavy fisted blows to its face.

Andrea witnessed this in awe. "Unbelievable... Lance's merged himself with one of those Digimon I've heard all about and seen from the news. Wait, Pharaohmon... the same Pharaohmon from those years ago?"

"Yes, but I've been purified now and reunited with Lance to fight on the side of justice!" BioPharaohmon declared as he kept hammering away at the Souja unit. He clenched his fist and punched the machine's head off. Then, he picked up and started ripping open the machine's chest.

"Hang on! I owe that thing for tying me up!" Andrea openly shouted as she focused and reproduced her mental projections. "Hold him still, Lance... err, BioPharaohmon rather."

As BioPharaohmon restrained the machine, Andrea sent her clones to attack. She coordinated with her clones, unleashing telekinetic blasts in conjunction with her clones' physical attacks. The combined efforts helped break the Souja apart. Then, BioPharaohmon finished things off, tossing the remains of the deadly machine into the air. The sarcophagus' mask's mouth opened up, releasing a beam, _**Pharaoh's Breath**_ , to reduce the machine to scrap.

Andrea was impressed with the timely outcome. She whispered so low neither Lance and Pharaohmon can hear her. "I really need to take these two to Marty. And we've been sorely lacking a powerhouse to add into our roster. Looks like I found the right guy... and monster for the job."

BioPharaohmon turned around and looked down to Andrea, who approached him without fear.

 **(End theme)**

 _Lance, can you hear me?_ Andrea telepathed with Lance's mind within BioPharaohmon.

He realized his mind became linked with hers. _I'm glad you're ok, Andrea, but good god I never would've believed you had super powers._

 _I can say the same for you._

 _Tell me, Andrea. Did you enroll at the school just to find me?_

 _No, I was just chance we happened to cross paths. I never would've figured you had any powers. I have power over telepathy and telekinesis._ She explained to him very thoroughly. _Forgive me for reading your mind without permission._

 _It's ok. I'm already used to having voices in my head. Being united with a Digimon can do that to a guy. So, you were able to hear Pharaohmon's thoughts in my head?_

 _Remember when we were study partners? During our study sessions, I heard a voice in your head that you hadn't picked up on yet. I didn't say anything until you discovered it for yourself. Since then, I've kept an eye on you. I heard that voice faintly telling you're able to wield his power._

 _Pharaohmon told me remnants of his power remain within me. Now, it seems we can Bio-merge._

 _Can he form a physical body, Lance?_

 _You'll have to ask him yourself, Andrea._

 _ **'I'll answer that for you, young miss. I can choose to willfully alternate between a spiritual essence and forming a physical body. When anything presents a danger to Lance, I will come to his aid.'**_

 _I see. Then, thanks for helping us, Pharaohmon. Sorry, it's not everyday a person can see much less communicate telepathically with a Digimon._

 _ **'Understood, Miss Andrea. And fear not, I'm not the monster you remember me from the broadcast.'**_

 **(Cue Madoka Magica OST –** _ **Believing in Justice**_ **)**

Andrea giggled a bit. _Don't worry. Your actions proved to me you're trustworthy. And seeing those Digimon Tamers in Japan in action, you must be Lance's partner now. Do you have one of those things, I think the TV show called them Digivices?_

 _ **'Yes, I presented Lance with one he can use to give me physical form and combine us if need be.'**_

 _That is so cool! Lance, you gotta show me what he really looks like!_

Lance interjected, opting to change the subject. _So, what now? The campus security and the police are going to come here and ask us a billion questions._

 _I know a place where we can stay out of sight. Remember when I turned down lunch with you and said I had to meet with someone?_

 _Yeah?_

 _Well, it's a long distance friend._

 _I don't get it?_

 _Why don't I take you to this long distance guy I've been hanging with?_

 _Sure, anything beats being bombarded by questions from police._

 _Can you and Pharaohmon fly in that form?_

BioPharaohmon picked Andrea up and put on his right shoulder. The Biomerged Digimon locked his feet together and rocketed off the college campus. They left behind a crowd of university students watching in awe and snapping pictures of BioPharaohmon gliding away from San Francisco University. BioPharaohmon flew high above San Francisco while Andrea looked around mesmerized at the heights they were traveling.

"This is so..."

"Cool?" BioPharaohmon asked though Lance's voice.

"More like super duper awesome, but close enough!" Andrea stood fearlessly on BioPharaohmon's shoulder.

"Aren't you at all afraid you'll fall off?"

"Nah, I could actually fly using my telekinesis. Watch," she said, closing her eyes as she channeled her telekinesis, enveloping her body in pink light. She hopped off BioPharaohmon's shoulder and flew along with him. "Follow me. I'll take you where we need to go."

BioPharaohmon complied and followed Andrea to their destination.

xxxxx

 _ **Outskirts of Seattle, Washington/9:40 PM**_

Upon landing near a forest, Andrea turned off her aura and watched BioPharaohmon defuse to his two components, Lance & the Pharaohmon soul again. Pharaohmon allowed himself to be seen by Andrea.

"All the way up north in Seattle?!" Lance yelled in surprise.

Andrea giggled. "I did say he was a _long distance_ friend."

 **(End theme)**

Andrea pointed them what appeared to be an abandoned factory.

"I take it this is you and your friend's Fortress of Solitude?" Lance asked.

"Well, kinda, but it's not in the Arctic. Call it Stronghold," Andrea said, guiding Lance and Pharaohmon toward the factory. She beckoned the two to stop as she pressed a button, which rang up a voice.

" _What do you get when you cross a psychic and a clone?"_ Came a man's voice, to which surprised Lance.

"That him?"

"Yes," she spoke out the password. "Psyclone."

A green light flared on the intercom and the front doors slid open. Andrea called Lance and Pharaohmon over to follow. They entered the facility while the doors closed behind them. They got on a platform that descended to a lower level.

As the platform stopped, the trio headed straight for a spacious room with lights, which revealed a large monitor screen, a lab, and an area for field training. They came across a chair with someone firmly seated in it.

"Whoa," Lance was awestruck by the size of the Stronghold. They entered what was the largest room in the entire facility.

 _Big, isn't it?_ Andrea telepathed with him. She cleared her throat as the man behind the chair slowly turned. "Andrea Bickens, Codename: Psyclone, reporting for duty, Stronghold!"

"I take it you were seen by one of the drones?" The man turned his seat around, revealing himself to Lance.

"Unfortunately, yes, but me and Lance here managed to take it down, Marty."

"So, this is the friend of yours, Andrea?" Lance asked.

"Yes. Lance, allow me to introduce you to my facilitator and closest friend, Marty Stonebagel, otherwise known as Stronghold."

Marty and Andrea hugged like they were a couple in Lance's view. The girl reassured Marty she was ok.

"Stronghold? I thought that's the name of your headquarters?" Wondered Lance.

"It's my radio call sign, too," Marty answered as he walked up to Lance.

Lance noticed Pharaohmon's essence suddenly fading.

"What?" Befuddled, he witnessed Pharaohmon vanishing.

 _ **'Lance... this human has a power that's negating me. I must return to the Digivice... to reserve my powers.'**_ With that, Pharaohmon's essence slipped into Lance's Digivice and stayed away from Marty's presence.

 **(Cue Toonami OST –** _ **Walking Stick**_ **)**

"Welcome to Stronghold. Lance Canebrook, thank you for helping Andrea," Marty offered a handshake to him. "Granted, I'm sure she could've handled that Souja unit on her own."

He and Lance shook hands, eliciting a smile from Andrea.

"Well, I was being pursued and I was too busy protecting Lance over my own," Andrea confessed. "But, you should've seen Lance. He has a special power like us. He has his own Digimon he can combine with and apparently he has some kind of remnants of spirit power thanks to this Digimon."

"Lance Canebrook, yes that name sounds familiar," Marty turned from Andrea and looked Lance in the eyes. "You're the same boy who dueled on Pharaohmon's behalf at that tournament he hosted. I definitely remember from the broadcasts."

Lance sighed, remembering the horrible deeds he committed on Evil Pharaohmon's behalf.

"Marty, I don't think he wants to be reminded of that," Andrea said.

"Now, you two have been reunited?"

"Yes, but Pharaohmon has been purified and we formed a new bond. We even combined to form a new body to help Andrea destroy that machine, whatever it was."

"It's called a Souja." Marty noticed the Digivice in Lance's hand. "And that?"

"This is the device containing Pharaohmon. He went back in to rest... and he mentioned your power was negating him. Now, I don't know what he meant, but you have a special power like me and Andrea?"

"Yes, but at the same time I don't have special powers that a Meta uses."

"Meta?" Lance was taken aback.

"It's what people with super powers are labeled," Marty answered plainly, facing the big monitor behind him. He used a remote to turn on and display a map of the United States. "At least in the United States, that's what we're being labeled. In other places like Japan, Metas are heralded as superheroes, inspirational figures, and divine beings, but in some sections of the United States Metas face discrimination and are now being hunted down."

"So, I heard about those rumblings. My parents mentioned people with special powers were starting to pop up in America."

"I can't fully confirm how Meta origins started in the US, but the first inklings of Meta activity started on the west coast of the United States. Do you recall the Rajita incursion from over seven years ago?"

"Yes, I do."

Marty continued on as five glowing beacons appeared on the west coast map. He pressed the remote, zooming in to indicate five west coastal cities.

"Five major cities were attacked by Rajita ships and some shot down. Since then, after the massive alien attack, people with specialized abilities started popping up. They came from these five cities as shown on the map. San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego, and even as far north as Seattle and Portland. Waves of Meta activity increased subsequently after the aliens attacked. Normal people weren't comfortable accepting the notion Metas were becoming a thing. Fortunately, there have been Metas that have managed to control their powers, kept them hidden, and blended well within society, but other not so fortunate were forced to flee and have spread out all over the country. There's now reports some appeared in the east coast and others fled into Canada."

"Man, why does this all sound familiar?" Lance was shocked to hear this being told to him.

"Yes, but do you know where these Metas got their powers to begin with? Andrea, why don't you tell him?"

"Ok, it all started for me..." Andrea nodded, further explaining to Lance her experience with her powers. "Since then, I've been able to control my telepathic and telekinetic powers. I've trained enough where I could conjure mental projections. In six months time, I was able to do that and used telekinetic blasts in conjunction with my clone's physical attacks."

"All right, then what about you, Marty?" Lance turned and asked him.

Marty answered nonchalantly. "Like I said, I have a special ability, but I have no powers to utilize in combat. My power functions like an off switch. I can nullify and negate other people's powers. Doesn't matter the nature of said power. Magic, purely energy, or ESP. None can penetrate me. Only thing that can't negate are physical blows. I can expand and retract my nullification aura as much as I want with effort. I'll get into specifics later."

"Which explains why Pharaohmon couldn't be near you. You were negating him, forcing him to retreat into my Digivice," Lance stated, looking down at his Digivice.

"I do apologize for that. I'll make sure not to expand my aura. I just wasn't sure how trusting of a person you'd be."

"Trust me that I'm not planning to snitch," Lance vowed, looking Marty dead in the eyes.

Marty smirked. "You've got good character just looking at you. Now we can both relax."

Andrea nodded, smiling in approval. "I'm glad to hear this."

 **(End theme)**

"How I got my power was an accident when I went to make a special delivery to one Cain Bearer. Inside there was a Rajita artifact, which I got exposed to and gave me my special ability. I also learned my cousin happened to be captured as a test subject of those aliens and turned into a Meta. He's not alone. He has colleagues that got turned and are living in Tokyo as we speak. He's calls his group Chimeras. And technically, me and Andrea can be considered Chimeras, but I thought why don't we have our own team name?

Andrea added. "But, we waited until we assembled our team."

"Team?" Lance asked.

Just then, a door opened from a break room on the other side. Marty, Andrea, and Lance saw three figures walking toward them. It was one male and two females.

The male and the first female are half-Polynesian, half-Caucasian siblings; the young man, standing 5'8, had a fun loving and laid back demeanor while his sister, standing 5'9, came off as the 'straight man' and having a calmer demeanor.

The guy looks like prototypical surfer dude: long, dark wavy hair while wearing some board shorts and an unbuttoned Hawaiian shirt to show off his abs.

The girl's attire is a stark contrast to her brother's; she's wearing a more Punk-Rock style with spiked hair, bleached with multi-colored tips, piercings, leather clothing, and spiked bracelets.

The other female was a dark-haired Latina, standing a modest 5'5 and with a friendly but subdued and casual style. To not draw attention to herself, she comes dressed in a shirt, jeans, and with goggles nestled on top of her head.

 **(Cue Samurai Champloo OST –** _ **Funkin**_ **)**

"Ah, hey, guys!" Andrea addressed the three. "Oh, where's Scott?"

"Andrea, didn't expect you to turn up!" The half-Polynesian guy replied with a laid back, surfer guy tone.

"Hey, girl, we were worried sick about you," the half-Polynesian girl said. "As for Scott, he said he's on his way here."

"I see. Well, I'm ok as you can plainly see, Nick, Penny," Andrea reassured them.

The Hispanic girl approached Andrea and hugged her.

"Hey, Carmen!" Andrea hugged her back. "It's ok. I'm back now." She spoke in a softer and gentler tone than usual.

Lance noticed a computer device mounted on Carmen's left arm.

"Is she mute?"

"Yeah, she's functionally mute," Andrea answered. "Guys, why don't y'all introduce yourselves to our guest. We've met during our first years in college. Tonight, we saved each other's lives. This is Lance Canebrook. Lance, these are our teammates." She pivoted to the siblings. "These two our Wonder Twins."

The half-Polynesian girl scoffed. "Ugh, seriously wish you wouldn't call us that."

"Just teasing. They're fraternal twins. The cool and laid back guy is Nicholas Banks, or Nick as he likes to be called. His codename is Surgebinder."

"Sup, dude? Glad there's another like us. What are your powers like?" Nick curiously asked.

"Ahem," the half-Polynesian girl cleared her throat, getting her brother to quit prying the newcomer. "He'll info dump his life story in a minute."

"Yeah, anyway, the real bossy one is Nick's sister, Penelope Banks, or just Penny. Her codename is Coinshot."

"Just so we can get off a good start, just call me Penny," she addressed Lance.

"Sure," Lance replied. "And her..." He glanced over to Carmen.

"This is Carmen Santiago," Andrea smiled to her mute friend. "Her codename is Songblade."

Activating her computer vocalizer, Carmen 'spoke' in a female synthesized voice. " _Hello, Lance. Nice to meet you._ "

"And to you, too," Lance addressed her.

Carmen nodded, showing her true modest nature by keeping to herself.

"So, we're short one member. I expect Scott will show up soon. Anyway, now that we're all present and accounted for," Marty openly addressed everyone. "Lance, the group name that I've come up with is purely based on the cities each of us come from. I'm from Los Angeles. Andrea was born and raised in San Francisco. Nick and Penny come from San Diego. Carmen was from Portland. Our homes and our current headquarters are all within the west coast of the United States. Thus, I've determined we would be called simply as... The West Coasters."

"The West Coasters?" Lance repeated, eyeing each team member.

"Yep, and since you're in the know about us, why not join us?" Andrea asked. "Although you're the only one without a power that originated a Rajita source, with Digimon partner, you can offer the muscle we sorely have been looking for."

"Wait, did you just say Digimon, Andrea?!" Nick was shocked to hear this. "Dude, seriously, you have a Digimon?!" He asked Lance very ecstatically. An exuberant smile adorned his face and his eyes almost lit up.

"Well, yeah, but he's resting now," Lance chuckled nervously, stepping away from Nick.

"Calm your ass down, bro," Penny flicked Nick in the back of the head.

"Hey, ow!"

"Better be glad I didn't shoot you with a coin."

Nick chuckled nervously. "Nah, you wouldn't do that to me, sis."

"No, I wouldn't, but c'mon you're scaring the poor guy. Lance, I do apologize for my brother being all in your face and stuff."

"S'okay, I guess. But, my Digimon's kinda tired right now and needs to stay in his Digivice. I'll show him later to y'all," Lance showed them the device.

"Whoa, you're like one of those Tamers in Japan, dude," Nick said. "I heard some can actually turn into Digimon and stuff."

"Well, it's all true, because I've met them," Lance proudly said. "The Duelists, the Spirit Detectives, and the Sailor Senshi, too."

Nick, Penny, and Carmen instantly became intrigued learning more of their new member, including learning more of his relationship with Japan's heroes.

"Ok, guys, let's give Lance his space. We can chat about his life story and how he knows all about Japan's superheroes," Marty garnered everyone's attention, causing the room to get quiet. "As the West Coasters, our job so far has been to find other Metas out there in need of help and to get to the bottom of where CainCorp are building these Souja units. As of tonight, we've been the only ones to know of the Souja's existence, but tonight will likely be the first the public first hears of them."

"Aw, man, Andrea, you were hunted by one of those scary robots that've been released?!" Nick asked.

Carmen sighed, relieved. " _Thank god it didn't get you._ "

"Granted it's not first encounter with one, I wouldn't have been able to stop it and escape without Lance and his partner," Andrea sighed with relief, refraining from thinking of the worst possible outcomes.

"Yet we know those mental projections shouldn't even work against that Souja you and Lance fought," Penny stated. "And yet they do? How does that even work?"

Andrea shrugged. "I don't know. Who even cares now?"

Carmen sighed deeply and inputted words through her device. " _We're glad you're ok, Andrea. Thank you, Lance._ "

"I know a lot of you don't depend on the news, but let's just see if there's anything noteworthy that should come to our attention," Marty turned on a news broadcast on the monitor. He turned it to a national news network.

"Just as long as it's not FOX," Nick remarked.

" _ **...and that's it for the sports news. Coming up, we have the latest on the recent attack on the San Francisco University campus. More about it after this break...**_ "

Carmen turned to Andrea. " _Was that where you were attacked?_ "

"Yeah, it was, Carmen."

 **(End theme)**

A few minutes later and the news returned to the update on the university attack. Eyewitnesses claimed to see a giant monster resembling a pharaoh and a machine clashing on the campus. Others claim a boy and a girl were involved in the incident. The West Coasters paid close attention until an dark bearded, black-haired man in a suit was interviewed. The name of the man is Dr. Victor Trask.

" _ **The Souja was probably in pursuit of a Meta that just happened to appear on the campus. The Souja Campaign to protect civilians from the Meta threats goes into full effect. More Souja units will be initiated very soon...**_ "

A reporter shot an inquiry. " _ **Dr. Trask, will you explain to the public why this Souja pursued this Meta recklessly? Shouldn't it have been programmed to avoid collateral damage to areas of the university campus? Eyewitnesses are starting to get wary of machines protecting them?**_ "

" _**Well, yes, the Souja units, even the one that pursued the Meta on that university campus, have been programmed to not only avoid and minimize collateral damage, but also civilians casualties. But, correct me if I'm wrong. There weren't any civilian casualties, correct?**_ "

" _ **Well, yes, that's correct, Dr. Trask, but the people still don't feel safe... CainCorp is sure to take heat for this.**_ "

Dr. Trask replied calmly, but deep down he was deeply irked. " _ **Surely, CainCorp will take heat for this. Mr. Bearer knows he'll be held accountable. I'll also be taking the heat, too. I've thoroughly checked every unit and I can rest assure there hasn't been an defective unit. Maybe this was the first defective unit. I believe that one was SOUJA-03?**_ "

" _ **I can't confirm, but the CainCorp logo was seen on it.**_ "

" _ **Well, I know I sent SOUJA-03 to San Francisco. The last thing we want from the public is their first impression of the Soujas being destroyers. The Metas are the true threats to the general public. And furthermore...**_ "

Marty quickly turned off the news broadcast. Lance noticed the irked looks on the West Coasters' faces. Andrea was visibly upset. Carmen conveyed her disdain toward the anti-Meta campaign. Nick saw how visibly upset Penny was, who wanted nothing more than shoot a coin at the suit yammering about the Souja units.

"Righteous case, my ass!" Penny cursed out loud. "I'd give up anything just to beat that face in."

"Yeah, never trust older guys in suits," Nick concurred with his sister.

"That machine that attacked us was one of these Souja units?" Lance asked.

"Pretty much," Andrea replied.

"Pontificating to the ignorant masses is what these guys like to do best. Dr. Trask is just one of Cain's biggest toadies," Marty rewound the interview.

"From the sounds of it, this isn't the first time you crossed these Soujas," Lance deduced how experienced the West Coasters seemed to be dealing with these machines.

"Yes, and I'll explain how we... no, how I know CainCorp and their involvement in developing these Soujas," He then surmised, rewinding the same interview. _But, where the hell are these Souja being manufactured?_ Suddenly, Marty's cell rang and he answered. "...I see. All right, I'll let you in, but remember our protocol." He shut off his phone and addressed the group. "West Coasters, Bridge has returned."

xxxxx

Next chapter: _**Penny – Coinshot**_

xxxxx

 **A/N:** There it is. The first chapter of _The West Coasters_. Thoughts so far?

Each chapter will be formatted in two parts: told from each character's viewpoint: half back story and half current story. It was a creative choice by Lazer. I kinda like it. So, instead of making separate Gaiden entries for each origin story, they were merged with present day plot. Yes, that might be somewhat lengthy chapters, but think about this: they're condensed double chapters, if that makes any sense.

Surprised to see Lance and Good!Pharaohmon? Yep, they're in for the long haul with the West Coasters. Good!Pharaohmon could be the honorary team mascot. Moreover, say hello to their Biomerged form: BioPharaohmon!

Andrea's back story has been one heck of a roller coaster. The same Rajita invasion that killed her mother became the catalyst that gave rise to superhumans, aka Metas. A ship that Nate Escobar (the Air Force pilot who's appeared in my stories) is the same one Andrea infiltrated and ended up getting exposed to the exact ship's reactor coolant. As for the Marty character, yeah, his story will be told, but stay tuned and keep an eye out for my _Gaiden_ for updates. ;)

On the other West Coasters, these are the current members. What are your first impressions on Nick/Surgebinder, Penny/Coinshot and Carmen/Songblade? Their full tales will be told soon, starting with Penny. Expect the other member, Scott/Bridge, (whom Marty was talking to) to show up next chapter.

As for the Souja units, think of the Sentinels mixed with Brainiac (or Ultron). This AI was extracted from a Rajita ship in Japan and has somehow been reprogrammed to mass produce these Souja drones by Cain Corp. To learn more: hit up _YuYuGiDigiMoon OVA: Summer Diaries Special Edition/_ Chapter 14/Cain.

With some setting of the story being in San Francisco and the cast living on the West Coasters, I do see parallels to the recent _Big Hero 6_ film. San Francisco = San Fransokyo. Good!Pharaohmon = Baymax. Lance = Hiro? But, while BH6 is more lighthearted, this story will be slightly darker (but _not_ treading toward grim dark levels) like an X-Men/Inhumans story, but, this story will have its share of lighthearted moments to maintain a mood balance. On the flip side, I do see Young Avengers parallels, too.

Dr. Victor Trask is an obvious expy of Dr. Bolivar Trask.

All you need to know is what's been presented in this chapter.

 **Notes on Andrea:**

\- Her codename is Psyclone, based on her telekinetic/telepathic (Psy) and ability to conjure mental projections (-clone). Training has allowed her to use telekinesis blasts to coincide with her clone's punches and kicks. Extra training has given her the ability to fly.

\- Outside of her Meta abilities, she has military training skills (being an Air Force brat), including medics and an expert at hand-to-hand combat

\- We had a ton of rejected aliases for Andrea. She was originally going to be called Chiko, Esperanza (ESPer-anza!) and Psy-Chick. Even Psylence (this honestly sounds dark and mysterious) and Psyte were considered. Figuring out her Meta alias was probably the hardest for me and Lazer. If I recall Lazer really liked Psy-Chick, but decided against it because, according to him, he prefers the concept of Psyclone using psychic projections and using her psychic clones to surround her target at high speeds, which could create cyclones, but could prove to be more of a finishing move.

\- She will serve as the Second in Command/Field Commander of the West Coasters.

\- Now being a 19 year old, she is still a love interest for Marty. There's absolutely no plans to pair her with anyone else, not even Lance.

\- Ironically, despite being the leaders of the team, Marty and Andrea are the ones newest to their powers, but are the oldest. Marty is loaded with money and Andrea has the military training.

\- She is a major fangirl of DJ Songblade, who is also Carmen, a fellow West Coaster. They have the closest bond of TWCs and become Besties. More on this will be shown in Carmen's chapter. Interesting tidbit: Andrea was originally intended to be 5'5, but Carmen was made such instead. Andrea, now at 5'10, is tallest member alongside Marty (who is 5'10 himself). She is the tallest of the girls.

\- Despite being an Air Force brat and military background, she's still quite feminine and likes cute things like any normal girl would. She also likes sweets. She also likes reading romance novels and playing video games. Personality wise, she's kind, generous and caring to her those close to her (being the Team Mom of the group), but vehement towards people that threatens her loved ones.

\- Personality quirks to look out for: can shift into fangirl mode, especially for DJ Songblade.

\- Outside of Lance, Andrea is my own original character. Well, technically, she's half-mine. I created her and Lazer developed her back story. The other West Coasters are Lazer's.

\- Thanks to Lazer developing her back story, I was happy to write Andrea's tale. We'll see if she ends up being a favorite of mine.

And that's all for tidbits. Hope you enjoyed the first entry of this new series. Since this story will feature nothing but brand new characters (sans Lance and Pharaohmon), Lazer and I would like to know if these characters perfectly mesh in the YYGDM universe. Guess we'll assess their places in the series once this story finishes. :)

Until then, leave a review and let us know what you think will happen next.

See you next time and stay gold!


	2. Penny - Coinshot

**A/N:** This came out slightly later than planned, but since this is a co-produced story, I'm letting my partner, LazerWulf, beta these chapters. For no other reason than to make it just right.

This chapter will entail Penny/Coinshot's origin story and the last West Coaster member will be revealed among other things.

Without further ado, enjoy.

xxxxx

 _ **San Diego, California/Beach/November 30, 2003/7:25 PM**_

It was on this day the incursion by the Rajita Empire devastated nearly of the globe. America was one of the first major countries following Japan to be hit hard. Civilians fled. Military forces, including the naval forces from Naval Base San Diego, responded against the alien threats.

As the war between humans and aliens escalated, two carefree individuals were cut off from the rest and carried on with their usual activities uninterrupted.

A pair of fraternal twins were taking it easy near a shoreline. Sitting on a beach chair is a half-Polynesian, half-Caucasian adolescent girl, roughly 14 years old. She's wearing a one piece purple swimsuit and sunbathing. She had neck-length dark hair with a pair of sunglasses adorning her head.

While she was trying to relax and enjoy the view, she heard loud hollering in the distance and sighted a half-Polynesian, half-Caucasian preteen guy surfing.

"Hey, Penny! Look at me!" The boy yelled out at her.

Putting her sunglasses on, Penny rolled her eyes and sighed. "Oh, _Nickel_ , you'll never give up on surfboarding." She put on headphones and turned on her music player. She looked up and noticed explosions like fireworks lighting up the sky. "Huh? Fireworks? I don't remember dad telling us anything about..." She paused and quickly stood up watching something falling out of the sky. "Whoa, what the hell is that?!"

Plunging from the sky came a spacecraft of some kind. Penny could just make out a moderate-sized ship heading several kilometers from where her brother was on his surfboard. Other beach goers started to panic and flee from location.

"NICK! GET OUT OF THERE!"

Nick, oblivious to what was going on, called out. "What?!"

"SOMETHING'S HEADING YOUR WAY! MOVE!"

Just then, Penny heard resounding explosions in the sky and saw more ships flying by. They were Rajita fighters being shot at by the Navy. She quickly pivoted and saw the first ship crashing into the ocean near where Nick was still standing.

 **(Cue Justice League Unlimited –** _ **Batman Beyond Battle**_ **(0:00-1:00))**

"Nick! There's a freakin' invasion going on!" Before she can even finish getting more words out, the ship exploded on impact with the ocean. That created a large wave that quickly wiped Nick off the surfboard. He fell into the water and got knocked unconscious.

"NICK!" Penny shouted toward him worryingly. Her concerns were confirmed as he didn't resurface. "Nick...?!"

When he didn't come up, she started to worry and dove into the water. She swam straight for Nick. Along the way, she saw the wreckage of the ship leaking out some kind of glowing green fluid. Not knowing what it was, she swam as quickly as she could, but couldn't reach her brother's surfboard before the strange liquid surrounded it. She dove into the water and found Nick still floating about unconscious, his right foot still tied to his board by a leg strap. She then heaved her brother on his surfboard and pushed him back to land, hoping the seawater would wash off any residue of the alien craft's leak.

Penny threw Nick on the shore and shook him.

"Nick... NICK!" She screamed out worryingly. Pressing an ear on his chest, she couldn't make out any breathing. "Nick!" She started to perform CPR on her seemingly unresponsive brother. "C'mon wake up. I'm not about to lose you!" She pressed her hands deep into his chest and breathed into his mouth. "Should've listened to me instead of showboating!"

After giving him one last CPR, Nick finally came to and spat some seawater, which Penny had the unfortunate pleasure of accidentally swallowing.

 **(End theme)**

"Ack!" Nick coughed up more water and saw Penny kneeling beside him. "Whoa, I dreamed of some white tunnel..."

"That's cause you almost died, Nickel!" Penny snapped. "And you spat some seawater in my mouth."

"Yuck sorry... wait, almost died?!" His reaction shifted from his usual cool surfer dude self to one that was flipping out, trying to grasp the notion he nearly died.

"Nick, calm down!"

"How can I?! You just said I almost died! I don't even remember a thing after I blacked out! What are mom and dad gonna say?!"

"Nothing, because they won't know this ever happened!" Penny yelled at him. She watched him shaking hard. "Nick! Calm down!"

"How can I be calm?! I almost died...!"

Penny gave him a hard slap to the face. Having knocked some sense into him, she got him to calm down. Nick rubbed his cheek and whimpered. She hugged her brother lovingly.

"Listen, it's okay now. You're alive because I gave you CPR."

"Sis, I'm sorry..."

"I don't blame you for acting the way you did. I know I'd freak out if I found out I almost died, but what's most important is you're still here. I don't even wanna imagine how mom and dad would react. They'd kill me if anything happened to you."

"For sure, especially mom."

"She's definitely an overprotective momma bear. She freaks out if we even go out for a night walk."

Nick looked over to see the wrecked ship. "Is that what wiped me out? Whoa, a ship of some kind?

"It came crashing into the bay very close to where you were standing up. Seems the Navy's fighting some ships... looked like something straight out of an alien movie."

Penny grabbed Nick's arm and pulled him up. Nick unfastened the leg strap from his foot and picked up his surfboard.

"Dad's likely taking action with the Navy back on the base."

"If mom and dad find out what happened here..."

Penny turned and nodded dismissively. "Let's keep this incident between us, got it? Mom and dad will never know this happened, got it? As far as they go, this _never_ happened, ok?"

Nodding, Nick complied with Penny's wishes. "...yeah, got it, sis."

"Good, now let's hurry back to the base. Mom's probably getting worried again."

"Yo, what's the deal with the ships? Think they might be aliens?"

"I wish I knew, Nickel."

As the siblings headed back to home, they wondered what they saw was an alien spaceship that crashed into the bay near them. This incident would begin a new phase in their adolescent lives, especially for Penelope 'Penny' Banks.

xxxxx

Chapter 2

 _ **Penny – Coinshot**_

xxxxx

 **(Cue Super Metroid OST –** _ **Prologue**_ **)**

Ever since the incident, Penny and Nick Banks kept their close encounter and the latter's accident secret from their parents. The siblings are fraternal twins, but were born via Cesarean section; as a result, neither sibling can claim to be the elder. Being 'Navy brats', they're children to Lt. Col. Marcus Banks of the US Navy, and Luana Banks, originally from Honolulu. Their parents met while their father was stationed at Pearl Harbor, but shortly after the twins were born, Marcus was transferred to Naval Base San Diego, where the family resides currently.

The Rajita Invasion left much destruction in its wake, causing many businesses and schools to shut down for weeks. This included the school Nick and Penny go to. For two weeks since the incident, they've been given time to rest.

But soon, school was back in session for the two high school freshmen.

 **(End theme)**

xxxxx

 _ **San Diego, California/Union High School/December 10, 2003/10:40 AM**_

 **(Cue The Spectacular Spider-Man OST –** _ **MJ Meets the Gang**_ **)**

After second period ended, Penny walked down the hall paying no mind to students passing her by. She didn't exactly come dressed to impress either. She wore a simple black long-sleeved shirt, dark blue jeans, and black shoes. She had on a pair of chains hanging out from her right side pocket and wore dark purple lipstick.

As far as being a 'Navy brat' was concerned, none came brattier than Penny. She was stuck-up, rebellious, and acted like a jerk to anyone except her brother, whom she considers her one and true best friend. She had no intention of making friends with any other students.

And today there was a good reason. On her way to third period class, she saw Nick getting pushed into a locker and being hassled by a half-Chinese teen guy. The Chinese teen looked roughly the same age as Penny and Nick, had black hair in a bowl style, and wore a blue wind breaker and running pants. Nick was seen wearing his a long-sleeve green shirt, jeans, and shoes.

Penny heard the Chinese guy harassing Nick.

"Not such a big shot now are ya, Nicky boy?!" He belittled Nick and prepared to push him again.

Having seen enough, Penny quickly interjected and stepped right in front of Nick. She gave the Chinese guy an irked glare that slighted him.

"Back off, Lee. Unless you wanna have a go at me."

"Sis..."

"Shut up and let me handle this, Nick."

Lee scowled as Penny defended Nick. "This is between me and your dork of a brother, Penelope. Step back, cause I don't want to hurt you."

"Oh, but I'd love to hurt you," Penny retorted.

"Step back."

"Make me, Lee. Come any closer and I'll drop you on your ass."

As Lee prepared to take Penny's challenge, a teacher, a man in his mid-40s wearing a business shirt with a red bowtie, stepped out of class and noticed students gathering to see the heated exchange.

"What's going on here?! Everyone get to your classes," the teacher instructed the students away. He turned to see Lee backing away from Penny and Nick. "You three break it up, Bell's about to ring. You know where you need to be."

"Yes, Mr. Tucker," the three responded to his instruction.

The three teens glared to one another. Lee mumbled and headed into class.

"You ok, Nickel?" Penny checked Nick.

"I'll be fine, sis. Thanks for coming in like that. I was gonna handle him, though."

"Look, we'll talk about this later," she sighed hard, taking Nick into Mr. Tucker's class, the exact class they and Lee shared.

 **(End theme)**

xxxxx

 _ **11:10 AM**_

Third period World History class. For Penny, it was her second least favorite next to English, but that's another story. This was usually the class she and Nick sleep through. However, after being reprimanded countless times for falling asleep, Penny wanted to spare herself getting chewed out by Mr. Tucker. Additionally, she couldn't fall asleep because she could hear Lee mumbling about her brother.

Penny and Nick were sitting in their usual spots towards the back of the classroom. Penny saved herself from boredom by flicking pennies at the back of students heads; a good enough reason for sitting in the back of the classroom.

"Now, let's review from our notes. Who can tell me the leader of the Hunnic Empire that led an unsuccessful campaign on Persia..." Mr. Tucker went on with asking random students his inquiry.

Penny tuned out her teacher and barely made out the disparaging remarks Lee had to say about her brother. Nick, too, was able to hear Lee, who sat right in front of Penny.

"...chicken...wuss...pussy..." Lee muttered under his breath.

Nick wanted to say something, but Penny got so irked with Lee's remarks. She fiddled with an object in her hand and looked straight at Lee. A smidge of green light sparked on her penny. She flicked the penny at Lee.

 _ **Whack!**_

The coin hit the back of Lee's head and before she knew it, a spark of green light glowed briefly as its light faded. The next thing she knew, Lee was knocked unconscious instantly. She and Nick saw Lee slumping over his desk. Every student in the class got startled by the sound of Lee 'hitting' his desk. A few students went over to rouse Lee, but none could awaken him. The green flash that occurred got students talking, but none knew it came from either Penny or the coin.

Mr. Tucker rushed over to check on Lee. None were more than shocked by this than Penny.

 _All I did was flick a penny at him...!_ Penny gaped in shock. _And that green flash of light...! Where did that come from?! I didn't do that... I mean, I didn't, right?!_

Mr. Tucker turned a suspicious eye toward Penny's direction. Naturally, he'd look at Penny first since he saw them arguing before class.

"What?" Penny was baffled as she was just as confused with what happened just now. "You don't think I did this?"

"Man, what happened to Lee?!" A male student wondered, looking over Lee's unconscious body.

"Maybe all the stress from swimming?!" Another male student deduced Lee's condition.

"What was that strange green flash though?!" A female student asked, being one that sat closest to Lee. "It happened all too suddenly."

"Yeah and it happened just when Lee fell unconscious."

Mr. Tucker then heard the commotion of other students not knowing what happened. There were no witnesses to see what went down. It came so fast and sudden that it would've been difficult to pin blame on anyone. Due to lack of witnesses, Mr. Tucker couldn't do anything.

"Someone help get Lee to the nurse," Mr. Tucker asked one of the students to take him.

While two students escorted Lee to the nurse, Penny was still in a state of shock. She looked at the same penny she used to knock out Lee with. As she reached over for the coin, she noticed Nick with a bewildered look on his face.

"Sis, what just happened?"

Penny shook her head, staring at the coin. "I...I don't know..." She took a moment to reflect to what happened and question how a small penny, much less a strange green flash, could knock a man unconscious.

xxxxx

 _ **Outside the nurse's office/12:15 PM**_

On her way to lunch, Penny curiously walked by the nurse's office. Feeling some shred of guilt, she checked to confirm Lee's condition. But, to keep herself from suspicion, she stood outside the door and heard the nurse with several students discussing what happened. She barely saw the nurse rousing Lee with cotton dabbed with medicine.

She could barely make out one student claiming Lee suddenly collapsed and slumped in his seat.

"I don't know how and what happened, but I thought Lee had just fallen asleep or something." A male student said.

A female student chimed in, giving her own take. "Think maybe he got from the swim meet?"

"Oh yeah, didn't he have swim tryouts?"

"Well, whatever happened... whether it was from swim tryouts, he's unconscious. I've tried rousing him. He needs to go to the hospital," the nurse said, dialing the number to the local hospital to come get Lee. "I'll also need to contact his parents..."

Penny power walked away from the nurse's and headed straight for the courtyard for lunch.

"Not like I wanted to apologize or anything," Penny scoffed under her breath. On her way, she eyed the penny she hit Lee with him. "It just doesn't add up at all!" She still couldn't get the gist of how a penny could knock someone out unconscious.

xxxxx

 _ **Courtyard/12:30 PM**_

"On his way to the hospital, sis? Man, that's a bummer for him," Nick said, drinking some Powerade. "I'd say he had it coming. You know, karma and all that."

Examining the penny in her fingers, Penny wasn't able to figure it out herself. "Yeah, but I didn't want to see him hospitalized."

Nick sighed. "Yeah, sorry... I didn't meant it that way, sis."

"Look, what's done is done." She clenched in the penny in her hand. Just then, she noticed a subtle green light appear on her penny. She gasped, causing Nick to get concerned.

"You ok, sis?"

"Yeah..." She lied, noticing the green glow fade. "You mentioned that green light before."

"Yeah?"

"Coins aren't supposed to do that when one flicks them."

"Nah, not unless whoever shoots it got special powers and neither of us are any special. Right?"

"Yeah." She thought her mind was playing tricks on her, but it reminded her of the green light that flashed when she knocked Lee out. She deduced whether this light might've helped the flicked penny knock Lee out. "Nickel, I'm gonna need a few cans you're planning to recycle if you have any."

"Sure, what for?"

"Just some target practice."

xxxxx

 _ **Empty Shooting Range/4:50 PM**_

Shortly after school, Penny collected a few cans Nick planned to recycle. She headed out for the nearest shooting range. She placed four cans: two Coca Colas, a Sprite, and a Sunkist. Penny took out a bag full of coins: pennies, dimes, nickels, and some quarters.

"What just happened... that had to be a fluke," Penny muttered, looking at the four cans and then at the coin. She grasped it in her fingers. "But, that strange glow on the coin... there's no other explanation." She once again denied this possibility. "Nah, just my eyes playing tricks on me."

She set her sights on the first Coca Cola can on the far left.

"That's all. Just a trick," she flipped the penny and snatched it with a quick swipe. She flicked the coin at the can. She saw the coin bounce off the edge of the can, barely nudging it. "Hmm, nothing." Penny took out another penny and flicked the coin at the can. Same result, but hit the post holding the can. "Oh, what the hell? I can knock Lee out, but can't make hit a bullseye on stupid cans?!"

Taking out a third penny, she didn't notice a green light subtly forming over the coin. She aimed straight for the can and flicked the penny.

 _ **Whap!**_

The penny for sure pushed the can off its pedestal.

"Huh?" She looked at the can and then noticed her penny. "This glow's been giving me this power? Ok, take two." She quickly scooped up her pennies and stared at the Sunkist can on the far right.

 **(Cue Hunter x Hunter 2011 OST –** _ **Mosa domo no Heigei**_ **)**

This time she readied the three pennies to shoot the Sunkist can.

"I'll go for three straight shots," she adamantly said. She flicked the first one, which flew over the can. Grumbling, she shot the second one, which barely nudged the can's side.

"What am I doing wrong?" She wondered. Then, she saw the glow in her hand expanding over the third penny. "Whoa...!" She took a deep breath and calmed down. "Maybe I just need to concentrate or something." She closed her eye and focused. She aimed and flicked the coin, coated with green light, toward the Sunkist can.

 _ **Bam!**_

The energy-imbued coin pushed the can off. Penny hurried over to check on the can. She examined both the Coke and Sunkist cans. She noticed a decent-sized dent on the Sunkist can.

"I did this with just a flick of a penny?!" She spat, looking over the Sunkist can. "But... this is the one I shot using that strange glow. Maybe if I concentrate more, I can somehow control this power? But, how the hell did I get this power?" She felt a small tingle in her fingers she used to flick the last penny. "Ugh, feels like my fingers are numb."

She started to mull over how she might've gained this new mysterious power.

"Where could I gotten this power? Can't be just because I love flicking pennies at kids..." She then retraced her steps and wondered about the alien craft that crashed into the bay. "Could I have gotten exposed to whatever came out of that ship that crashed near Nick?"

She pulled out a nickel and eyed the other Coke can. She concentrated and imbued the nickel with green light. She then flicked the nickel toward the can, and knocked it over. She checked the can and saw a bigger dent than she made using a penny.

"If I could do this to cans," Penny mulled. She flicked another nickel at the last Sprite can. However, the coin came ricocheting off the post that the can sat on. It shot right back at her. "Shit!"

She quickly put her hands out, to which to her own surprise 'repelled' the nickel. She had both hands out to protect her. "Ugh, what the hell?!" She gaped and saw she did more than just repel the nickel. She lowered her hands and and noticed she pushed away everything metal around her, including knocking over the can she hadn't shot off the post.

"I did this?" She was flabbergasted with what she did. As she recollected herself and with a little concentration, she started to notice several objects near her also had a faint green glow to them. "...this is seriously gotta be a joke. Now more than just the coins can glow?!"

She studied each glowing object and figured it out.

"No, wait, they're all glowing because they're metal. I was able to push back all these metals?"

She scooped up the coins she used and looked at the cans she knocked over. She noticed the more she concentrated, the thicker the green glow was on a coin. The less she focused, the thinner and less visible the glow was the object. The glow, as evidenced through shooting the cans with coins, only materialized around metal objects.

"I wonder what else I can shoot with?" Penny smirked, knowing she's been imbued with a gifted ability.

 **(End theme)**

xxxxx

 _ **Penny's Room/December 12, 2003/5:03 PM**_

After school, Penny set up some cans on her desk and grabbed a penny.

"Ok, let's see, I was able to push away that nickel. Then, all the coins and cans started glowing. They're all metal. Let's see if I'm right," Penny stared at a penny in her palm and, with some effort, she pushed the coin with her mind and watched it slowly move across the room. _I'm actually controlling it with my mind!_

The coin hit the Coke can and knocked it over, but with miniscule force. The coin was only able to knock it over as if she had pushed the can off the desk herself.

She grabbed the penny again and concentrated on it. To her elation, the coin started to glow brighter.

"All right, here we go... whoa that's bright!" Penny saw the coin glowing at what appeared to be its maximum brightest. It was literally bathed in green light. "Let's give it a go!" She flicked the coin at a can, and this time it hit hard enough to shoot a hole in the can. "Yikes!" She was nearly at a loss for words. "Holy crap! That... that was..." She looked over the can and examined the size of the hole she made to it. "...that was so cool."

She used the same push power with different coins. She used a nickel and then a dime. When she shot up two cans with both coins, she noted the force of the shot was directly correlated with the weight of the coin: the penny hit harder than the dime, but not as hard as the nickel.

She then tried pulling the penny she shot with to her. No matter how hard she concentrated on pulling the coin to her, it wouldn't budge, but the instant she thought about pushing the coin away, it shot across the room.

"Ok, so I can't pull things, but I sure can push 'em. I'm liking where this is going."

xxxxx

 _ **Garage/December 15, 2003/6:30 PM**_

 **(Cue Hunter x Hunter 2011 OST –** _ **All I Need is Money!**_ **)**

Sometime before nightfall, Penny was hunting through her dad's workbench for other objects she could shoot with. Screws, bolts, and nails didn't seem to have the right aerodynamics to shoot with accurately. Washers and nuts were a bit better, but also bulkier and not as convenient to carry around as coins were. Then she spotted something in one of the bins that she thought would do perfectly: a solid steel ball bearing, about an inch in diameter.

She hefted the ball bearing in her hand. It was a lot heavier than anything she had tried to shoot before.

"Ok, let's give this a go," Penny said, walking a distance between her and a stack of plastic bottles. "Right, here I go." She concentrated her powers for a straight shot and imbued the steel ball with a slight glow. She flicked the ball at the plastic bottles, and it just barely managed to knock one over.

"That's it? I could throw that thing harder!" Penny was disappointed in her first shot. She retrieved the ball bearing and set up the bottles again. "Alright, let's try it with a little more force..." She concentrated again, letting the glow build within the steel ball to a full charge, then launched it at the bottles.

This time, she missed the bottles completely, but managed to shoot a small hole in the back of the garage.

 _ **Boom!**_

"Oh, shit...!" She cringed as she rubbed the arm she used to shoot with. Not only did the recoil from the shot numb her entire arm, but the amount of energy she had willed into the shot left her physically exhausted. Nevertheless, she rushed over to the hole in the wall to see where her shot had gone. Fortunately, the Banks' house backed up against the beach, so she sighed in relief when she saw a green streak head out over the ocean.

"Oh, man, I hope nobody saw that..."

She sat down on a couch to take a break. "Damn, just one shot wore me out... and I was putting my all in that one." She clenched her right hand where it had gone numb. "Maybe I should've waited to use a steel ball. Guess I'll just stick to coins for now... need to get my arm used to this..." She made a gun with her finger and eyed the hole in the wall. "Also need to better my aim."

"Penny, dinner time!" Luana was heard calling out after barely opening the garage. The face of a Hawaiian woman with long dark hair was plainly seen from the crack of the opened door.

 _Ugh, terrific timing as always, mom._ Penny got up from the couch and replied in an annoyed tone. "Yeah, coming."

 **(End theme)**

xxxxx

 _ **Banks Residence/6:50 PM**_

Penny joined her family for dinner. She sat across from Nick. Sitting at the head of the table was Lt. Col. Marcus Banks, a middle-aged Caucasian man in naval fatigues with short grayish hair, and across from him, his wife Luana.

Penny grabbed her fork using her numbed hand and cringed.

"Penny, are you ok, dear?" Luana asked her.

"Yeah, just my hand's numb is all."

"From what, sis?" Nick inquired.

"Just hit my hand on something in the garage, but I'm ok..." Penny scoffed.

"What did you use in the garage?" Marcus asked her.

"I was just moving some things around trying to find something and hit my hand on something. Look, may I be excused?" She walked off from the dinner table without waiting for an answer and headed into the restroom. After closing the door, she dowsed her hand with sink water. _This numbing isn't going away! Is this going to happen every time I shoot something heavier than coins? I try anything stronger than a steel ball... my whole body could go numb for all know!_ She turned off the sink and simply gave in to the numbness. "Damn it, hopefully this doesn't last."

"Penelope, are you sure you're ok?" Luana once again called for her.

"Ugh, yes, mother I'm fine. I'll be back soon," Penny sighed out of exasperation. She flushed the toilet making it sound like she had needed to use it. _If I have this power, I'm not letting it go to waste. I have to apply and get better. I can definitely do more with it along with all that jazz._

After dinner and a few hours into the night, the numbness in Penny's hand finally went away. It was during dinner she decided to find a form of training to enhance her new powers.

xxxxx

 _ **Union High School/January 6, 2004/3:34 PM**_

Having spent the entire winter break working on her powers on the down low, Penny was looking for more excuses to shoot things. She decided to sign up to join the school's archery team.

Along with 14 other students, Penny was taken outside and near the track field. Several targets had been set up archery class. The archery instructor finished his lecture and gave them a demonstration. He shot a paper target with perfect precision. Penny meticulously watched the instructor's demonstrations.

"This definitely will help me on my accuracy," she mumbled to herself.

Before the end of class, she and the other students were given a chance to shoot at least one target. Penny was given a bow and a paper target to hit.

"Ok, a paper target. Piece of cake," she eyed the paper target in plain sight.

"You're up, Ms. Banks," the instructor called for her to demonstrate her first try.

Nocking an arrow on the bow string, Penny drew the arrow back, sighting along the shaft towards the target. As she did so, she imagined herself shooting her coins.

 _Ok, when I shoot coins from my hand, I should hold my arm straight out and sight down it as if I were looking down an arrow._ Penny thought, meticulously noticing the connection between aiming a bow and aiming her coins. She fired the arrow with a straight shot, piercing the paper target right through the bullseye.

 **(Cue Hunter x Hunter 2011 OST –** _ **Try Your Luck**_ **)**

"Wow, good first try, Ms. Banks!" The instructor clapped as did the other students. "Are you sure this isn't your first time?"

"Eh, maybe it isn't?" Penny shrugged, painstakingly staring at the paper target she shot. A cool smirk formed on her face knowing she's already gotten some marksman experience. Not only has she found an activity to practice her aim, but found an extracurricular that's right up her alley.

xxxxx

 _ **Empty Shooting Range/January 24, 2004/7:23 AM**_

Penny set up in the camcorder she borrowed from her dad. She framed the video so that she could see the cans set up on the fencepost, as well as where she would be standing, and then hit record. She walked over in front of the camera, then began to concentrate. She activated what she referred to as her 'Metal Sense', and she could see a faint glow around the cans, as well as the coins in her hand.

 _ **Pop! Pop! Pop!**_

Ever since taking archery classes, Penny has vastly improved her aim. She shot three coins in rapid succession, a nickel, a dime, and a quarter, knocking over three Coke cans. Each can had a hole of a different size in it. Then, on a whim, she concentrated on one of the other cans and mentally pushed it off the post.

"Nickel shots pack as much power as a 9mm when fully charged. A dime is like a .22 caliber," Penny stated while scribbling down her observations in a notebook. "And a quarter is a .44 magnum." She calculated, walking over to review the video. The footage showed the three coins glowing in her hand and streaking across to hit the cans, but the cans themselves had no glow, except for the one she pushed over with her mind. "Okay, so the glow from my 'Metal Sense' is only visible to me, but when I'm actually pushing on something, then the glow is visible to others."

After a bit more experimentation, she found out that when she was simply pushing an object, it was her weight against that of the object. If she tried to push on something heavier than herself, she got pushed back instead. To push on something faster, like when she shot her coins, she had to charge them up at least to a certain level, anywhere between half the object's maximum capacity and a full charge, which seemed to drain the energy directly from her. Also, the correlation between the weight of the object and the amount of energy it could hold (and therefore the amount of energy needed to shoot it), was exponential, rather than geometric, there was a point of diminishing returns, where a half-charged shot with a heavier object had less force and used more energy than a fully charged shot with a lighter object.

After a full day, she activated her Metal Sense once more and began to collect all the 'ammuntion' she had shot, when a bit of fortune fell upon her and she found a coin she definitely _hadn't_ shot.

"No way, a silver dollar? Here?" She gaped, picking up and looking over the silver object. It was scuffed and slightly dented along one edge, as if someone had tried to shoot a hole through the middle of it and missed. She turned it a few times, forming a grin on her face. "Just what I've been looking for." She put it in her pocket. "This is just my lucky day."

xxxxx

 _ **Empty Shooting Range/May 30, 2004/11:43 AM**_

Penny took out the silver dollar she found nearly four months ago. She pivoted her view between a watermelon sitting on a post and the silver dollar. It would be the heaviest thing she's shot with since that ill-fated experiment with the ball bearing. She had been training these past four months, though, and she was now able to use a 50 lb. bow in her archery class, so she figured she could handle any recoil from the silver dollar.

Gripping the silver dollar in her hand, she flipped it into the air and concentrated, imbuing the coin to its maximum glow while sighting down her arm at the watermelon. The instant the coin fell in line, she flicked out her thumb and launched the silver dollar at the watermelon.

 _ **Boom!**_

A green streak shot across the shooting range and slammed into the watermelon, causing it to virtually explode.

Penny grinned, walking over to claim her silver dollar. "Damn. I'd say that's about as strong as a .50 caliber rifle." Her arm tingled a bit, despite her training, but it was still functional. "I don't think I can do that too often, but what a trump card that'll be..."

 **(End theme)**

xxxxx

 _ **Convenience Store/June 13, 2004/8:57 PM**_

One summer evening, Penny went out for one of her escapades and headed for a local convenient store to find a drink to buy. She went over to the cashier to pay for a strawberry Yoohoo drink. Just behind her, a man wearing a plaid shirt, a wifebeater, and khaki pants. He had stringy long hair and was holding something to buy.

Penny took out two dollar bills. "...crap, was that all I brought?"

"You're five cents short," the cashier said.

Penny sighed, checking her pockets for more change, but she had left all her coins at home.

"You're holding up the line, miss. I'll have to take this back until you pay."

"Damn, just a nickel short!" She spotted some coins in the 'Take a Penny' tray. "What about those?"

"No can do. 5 dollar minimum purchase to use the tray."

Rolling her eyes, Penny pushed the drink into the cashier's hand.

"I'm not thirsty anyway," she said, preparing to walk out.

Behind her, she heard the unmistakable click of a revolver being cocked.

She turned around to see the guy with the stringy hair pointing a handgun at the cashier. "Gimme all the money in the register. NOW!" he demanded.

Penny quickly ducked into one of the aisles and watched as the cashier opened the register and handed all the cash to the robber, who quickly stuffed it into his pants pocket. As the robber turned to leave, for good measure, he scooped all the coins out of the 'Take a Penny' tray and shoved them in his pocket as well, but in his haste to leave, he didn't notice that one of the coins, a quarter, missed his pocket and rolled along the floor, stopping right in front of Penny.

"Don't worry," the cashier said as he noticed her on the floor. "I hit the silent alarm, so the cops should be here soon."

Penny stared at the quarter on the floor. She knew she should just stay put and let the cops handle it, but her better conscience told her to take action. Penny grabbed the quarter off the floor and bolted out the door the robber used to escape.

 **(Cue Metal Gear Rising –** _ **I'm My Own Master Now**_ **)**

She was in hot pursuit of the robber, but he was already halfway down the street. The robber looked over his shoulder and saw that he was being pursued, so he raised his gun to fire at Penny. Instinctively, Penny pushed on the gun, spoiling the robber's aim and grip, so that when the man fired, the shot went wide and the gun, glowing slightly green with the energy of Penny's push, flew out of his hand.

The robber, startled at the loss of his weapon, turned and ran even faster. She wasn't going to reach him now. However, now that she was far away from any witnesses and cameras, Penny stood her ground and took aim with the quarter, shooting it into the back of the robber's knee. This did enough to hobble him for a police car to drive up. Two police officers caught the robber, prompting Penny to leave the scene undetected.

Penny ran all the way back home. She couldn't believe what she had done. She never would have thought to use her powers to stop a robbery in the middle of the night, but an instinct kicked in telling her to go after him.

"This power's the best thing that's ever happened. If I can stop some robber, I can probably take down a ton of thugs and clean up my streets!"

She has found her new calling in life. And since then, Penelope Banks used her alien powers to fight crime and turned to vigilantism. It wouldn't be long before the community took notice of her actions, and one underground blogger would give her a name: Coinshot.

 **(End theme)**

xxxxx

 _Flash forward to present_

xxxxx

 _ **Seattle, Washington/Stronghold/April 27, 2010/10:15 PM**_

The elevator shaft that Lance and Andrea used brought down the other team member Marty alluded to. The sixth member appeared before his friends/colleagues before presenting himself to Marty.

"Sorry for being late, but I got preoccupied along the way," a a fairly skinny teen, who appeared about 16 years old and six feet tall, addressed Marty. He had fiery red hair, what could be seen underneath a black beanie, freckles, fair skin, and green eyes. He had on a t-shirt and jeans, with a long-sleeved button up shirt over his t-shirt like a jacket, and a pair of Chuck Taylors.

"You're excused, but you could tell us what kept you preoccupied on your way here. You're usually good with time, Scott," Marty said.

Before Scott could explain, Nick interjected and pointed Scott to Lance.

"Yo, Scott! We got ourselves a new team member? Ain't that cool, man?"

Scott sighted Lance and raised a brow. "Oh a new addition to our team? Cool. I'm not the new guy anymore."

"Lance, this is Scott Montgomery," Andrea introduced Lance to Scott. "Also known as Bridge."

"Bridge?" Lance wondered about the meaning behind the alias.

"Yeah, as in 'Einstein-Rosen Bridge'. I create wormholes," Scott answered Lance. "Nice to meet you...? Didn't get your name."

"Lance Canebrooke. I've known Andrea for a couple of months, but this is my first meeting you all."

"Nice, good to have you on board with us. So, what do you think of our team?" Scott asked Lance for further opinions.

"From what I can see, Marty and Andrea put themselves together an adequate team."

"Adequate, he says?" Penny chuckled. "More like one royal ass-kickin' team."

"Ok, now that everyone's present and accounted for, we have much to discuss," Marty announced, gathering everyone together. "Initiating Lance into our team will have to wait, because we now have Souja business." The minute he brought up 'Souja', the West Coasters stopped talking and listened. "News has already circulated across TV and the internet media about the Souja attack that happened on the campus Andrea and Lance just happen to attend." He turned on a screen showing the news broadcast on tonight's campus attack. "As you all can plainly see, the CainCorp logo is clearly embellished on this unit much like the ones we've countered. And that would confirm to us who's been mass producing these Souja units. The Souja units created for CainCorp with the sole purpose of pursuing Metas are being created by Dr. Viktor Trask." He pointed to the dark-bearded, black-haired man in the suit being interviewed on the screen. "I can tell you that I do happen to know this man and I know he's developing these Souja units for CainCorp, which as many as you know is run by..."

"Cain Bearer," Lance interjected. "My family has conducted some business with him before."

"That's nice, but could you let me finish?" Marty cleared his throat.

"Sorry, go on."

"Anyway, Viktor Trask conducts business for Cain and has produced projects in CainCorp's robotics division. When my family's company had business with Cain in Japan, Cain told me he and his team were developing AI units to actively pursue Metas. I also learned that their developer is, in fact, Trask. Ever since I returned home from that trip, I've been figuring out ideas how to undermine the entire Souja project. Once I learned of Andrea's powers, I knew forming this team would help me serve that purpose. Still, one issue remains: I have no earthly clue where they're developing these Souja units."

"And if we don't know where they're being developed, we can't neutralize the source," Andrea stated.

Lance added. "There's also no guarantee they're being developed in the U.S." He then paused. "Wait, does Cain know you have powers?"

"No and my powers don't really work like normal powers like I explained. A Souja unit wouldn't be able to probe anything out of me since I wouldn't give off anything."

"Right, just trying to get the gist of your powers."

"It's ok, Lance," Andrea said. "Maybe you can show everyone Pharaohmon?"

"Sure."

"Why don't you go ahead and get further acquainted with the team, Lance. But, Scott... would you come here for a minute?"

Lance noticed Andrea, Carmen, Nick, and Penny grouped together behind him. They were curious to see Pharaohmon, but none were as eager as Nick.

"Calm down, bro," Penny sighed. "He'll bring him out when he's ready."

"Yo, sorry, it's just not everyday ya see a full grown Digimon up close!" Nick replied like a giddy child wanting candy from a candy store.

"But, we never see Digimon in our neck of the woods. Japan gets all the crazy and cool shit."

Carmen turned and nodded eagerly to Andrea.

"Don't worry, he's going to show us Pharaohmon. We're ready whenever you are, Lance."

Nodding, Lance took out his Digivice and activated it. "Ok, make room everyone, because the big guy is just that... pretty big."

The West Coasters shifted to the opposite end of the spacious room and watched as a white beam of light came out of the Digivice. The white light solidified and produced... not a giant Egyptian-armored behemoth, but a small floating sarcophagus.

The Pharaohmon spirit was met with a brief and awkward moment of silence. The West Coasters didn't know what to make of it.

"Um, hey, he's small again like before?" Andrea giggled a bit.

However, Nick had a defeated look. "...gah, what? Yo, where's that big guy with the rad Egypt armor like ya described?"

Penny deadpanned. "You sure you just weren't exaggerating his worth, you two?" She asked Lance and Andrea.

Carmen, however, walked over and hugged Pharaohmon's spirit. She then started typing on her wrist computer. " _Thank you for saving my friend. We'd like to have you on our team._ "

Surprised by Carmen's approach, Pharaohmon smiled. " _ **It's my pleasure, young miss. Just doing what a Digimon should do for one's human partner and his new friends.**_ "

"Pharaohmon, these are the rest of Marty and Andrea's crew, the West Coasters," Lance introduced his Digimon to the rest of the West Coasters.

" _ **I'm already acquainted with Miss Andrea. And the rest of you if I may ask?**_ " Pharaohmon veered over to Carmen first.

" _I'm Carmen Santiago. Or, Songblade, whichever you choose._ "

Nick flexed an arm and widened a grin enough to let a tooth tinkle. "Nick Banks is my name, Pharaoh dude. My team calls me Surgebinder. Say, can ya grow like those Digimon can?"

"You mean _digivolve_ ," Lance corrected him.

"Yeah, that, too. Can he?"

"After I reserve enough of my power and when a great urgency occurs, I can shift into my battle mode. If the need arises, I can also Biomerge with Lance to become BioPharaohmon."

"Whoa, cool."

"Ok, you had your turn, bro," Penny coughed. "I'm Nick's sister. My name is Penny Banks. But, you can also call me Coinshot."

"And I'm Scott Montgomery. I go by Bridge," the red-haired teen addressed Pharaohmon, and the others turned to see him and Marty return from their little meeting. "Man, did you think we've recruit someone with a Digimon on our side, Marty?"

"No, but considering he and Lance helped trash a Souja unit, we finally have our muscle," Marty said.

"I'd like to see how big and strong Pharaohmon is."

"So do I, but we have other matters. Scott, tell the others what kept you so preoccupied."

"Well, you see..."

 _ **Ba-Boom!**_

Suddenly, the sound of explosions erupted outside Stronghold and this immediately triggered the alarms. Everyone were quickly taken off guard and rattled by the loud explosions that sounded like they were hitting the facility. Marty switched the screen and displayed security camera feed of at least 5 Souja units blasting the entrance. Another camera view showed two others using lasers to cut and blast through Stronghold's roof. Marty stood looking aghast at what was happening.

"Souja units?!" Andrea cried out fearfully as she held Carmen close.

"How did they find us?!" Nick panicked.

Penny paled with fright. "Shit, they're really tearing through Stronghold!"

Lance muttered. "More than one of those things?" He looked over to Pharaohmon. "Think we can take more than one?"

" _ **That depends if you believe that we can.**_ "

"Guys... they're about to get through!" Scott shouted as he pointed to the screen. "About time we leave now or get caught like other Metas!"

Marty turned around facing the West Coasters. He raised and extended a fist overhead. "We've need to abandon Stronghold for now and neutralize these units, guys! We'll worry how they found us later."

Andrea furrowed her brows and resolved. "You heard him, West Coasters! Let's do what we do best! Especially now that we have a heavy hitter on our side." She shifted over smiling to Lance and Pharaohmon. "You two want to show them how you took down a Souja?"

Clenching his fist, Lance took out his Digivice and used it to fill out Pharaohmon's spirit body into his well known gargantuan body.

"Let's get ready for action, Pharaohmon!"

" _ **At your command, Lance!**_ "

As Pharaohmon's form expanded into his true form, the West Coasters watched in awe as Lance's partner reached heights bigger than an average Souja unit.

xxxxx

The seven Souja sentries amassed around Stronghold blasted through the wall exteriors with relative ease. However, before they had a chance to scan and pursue the West Coasters inside, Pharaohmon came flying out from the roof. Lance mounted Pharaohmon's right shoulder and beckoned him to hold off the Souja units.

"Let's keep them busy, Pharaohmon!" Lance yelled out.

 **(Cue Marvel vs. Capcom 3 OST –** _ **Sentinel Theme**_ **)**

Pharaohmon produced long bandages and grabbed one Souja sentry, which had a designated number ' _ **SOUJA-10**_ '. "I won't let you bring harm to my Tamer and his friends, machine!"

The other Souja units quickly got sidetracked by Pharaohmon, allowing most of the West Coasters to unleash sneak attacks. Andrea made the initiative attack and split off four doppelgangers of herself, which she sent for a Souja sentry with a ' _ **SOUJA-07**_ '. Andrea stayed hidden while her doppelgangers kept the machine occupied.

 _I don't know why that works._ She said while linking her mind with Lance amidst the battles heating up. _Those Soujas don't have minds for me to project the images of my clones into, but somehow they can still see them._

Though Andrea timed her telekinetic blasts to coincide with the 'punches' and 'kicks' of her clones, the Souja unit tried to backhand one and passed right through it as if it wasn't there, which, of course, it wasn't. The unit then started to ignore the other clones and focused on the one that wasn't attacking it: the real Andrea.

"Crap, they're learning!" Andrea cursed as she took to the air and shot a green psychic blast from her mind to subdue the sentry.

Lance grunted. "Oh man, there goes that idea, but that won't change things. You still got your friends backing you up!" He clenched his fist as he made an uppercut motion.

Pharaohmon mimicked Lance's uppercut motion and hit the SOUJA-10 in its robotic jaw.

 _ **Bam!**_

He sent the robot sailing into the air and crashing behind him.

" _Surrender, Meta, or be taken by force. You have ten seconds to comply._ " Another Souja, one labeled ' _ **SOUJA-09**_ ', cast its view down on Carmen and lowered its hand as two cables coiled out.

"Carmen!" Andrea called out to her.

The machine droned. " _10\. 9. 8._ "

Carmen smirked calmly and nodded. " _Yes._ " She turned on her computer synthesizer.

It continued. " _7\. 6._ "

Carmen slid a few feet back and pressed a few quick keystrokes on her computer, producing a quick musical tune. With that tune came a light that materialized into a purple chainsaw. Carmen grabbed the chainsaw and cut SOUJA-09's head off. The machine's head slid off as it and the body both collapsed.

Upon seeing this happen, Lance was baffled. "Whoa..." Was all Lance could say about Carmen's power.

Another Souja, labeled ' _ **SOUJA-16**_ ', sighted Nick and expelled red beams from its soulless robotic eyes. Readily prepared for such situations, Nick dashed straight for a pond and waved his hands around, manipulating the water akin to a Water Bender. He formed a glowing green wall of water that protected him from the blasts.

"Get ready for my _**Blue Crush**_ move!" Nick shouted, manipulating the wall of water and shifting the water currents to unleash a tidal wave on the machine.

 _ **Woosh!**_

The Souja sentry tried blasting through the wave, but the immense wall of water proved too strong and sent it away into the city.

"Enjoy the ride, dude!" Nick hollered as he kicked his feet forward and surfed across the small tidal wave he sent.

 **(End theme)**

"So, looks like we're dragging the fight into the city, huh?" Marty sighed, watching Nick leading the charge riding his wave down after the Souja sentry. "Well, it's not like more water would hurt Seattle, but the last thing we want is to wreck the city with y'all's attacks." He looked up and watched Andrea tearing open her Souja opponent's head with a psychic blast. "Andrea, we need to go straight to where Nick is!"

"Penny's already going after him!" Andrea called out, finishing off SOUJA-07 with a quick psychic blast into its head core. "But so are two more of those Soujas!"

"Pharaohmon, let's combine again!" Lance beckoned his partner. He raised his Digivice and sent an immense beam of golden light. This light enshrouded them both, encapsulating them in a seal that allowed them to Biomerge.

 **(Cue Attack on Titan OST –** _ **Armored Titan Theme**_ **)**

The West Coasters and Souja units still present witnessed the grand unveiling of BioPharaohmon. BioPharaohmon hastily bumrushed the same SOUJA-10 unit he'd been fighting and punched a big hole through the sentry's chest. BioPharaohmon roared and ripped out a white circular orb, revealing the machine's core. After crushing the core, BioPharaohmon took the core-less machine shell down with a big tackle.

"Man..." Scott was in awe.

"See? This is what helped us beat that Souja back on the campus!" Andrea called out to the other West Coasters.

" _Amazing. Little Pharaohmon can do all that?_ " Carmen was flabbergasted by Pharaohmon's bond with Lance.

"As incredible as it is, we have the other Soujas to pursue!" Marty addressed his team as he bolted after the others into Seattle. "Scott, heads up!" He warned Scott when one of the remaining Soujas, one labeled ' _ **SOUJA-12**_ ', converged on him.

As Scott saw the Souja coming, he turned and narrowly dodged getting caught. He then raised both hands and summoned what looked like a big wormhole. The Souja went through said wormhole and many yards away another wormhole opened to spit out the same Souja.

The Souja looked around searching for Scott, but scanned a heat signature over its head. It looked up and saw Andrea flying down shoving a psychic blast through its face. The blast tore up the machine's head and destroyed its core.

"We've taken care of the ones here, Marty!" Andrea called out to Stronghold.

Marty veered over to BioPharaohmon. "Impressive stuff, Lance, if you're still in there."

"I'm still here. We've just combined in one body. Call us BioPharaohmon," Lance replied in his own voice out of BioPharaohmon.

"You and Pharaohmon do make an inseparable pair."

"Thanks. Glad we can make a great first impression."

"Right."

"Let's not keep Nick and Penny waiting. I'm worried they won't be able to handle those remaining Soujas on their own," Andrea said.

" _But, what about Stronghold?_ " Asked Carmen, looking at the destruction the machines left on their quarters.

Sighing, Marty hadn't counted on their base of operations to be found. "If the Soujas managed to find our location, we might need to relocate, but we'll worry about that later. Coinshot and Surgebinder come first."

The others concurred with aiding their teammates first above anything else.

"We eliminated four, but three just went into the city along with Nick and Penny. West Coasters, head straight for Seattle! And I want us to minimize as much collateral damage as we can!" Marty declared.

xxxxx

 _ **Seattle Metropolitan area/10:55 PM**_

The waves pushed SOUJA-16 far from Stronghold's location. SOUJA-16 slowly rose as onlookers backed away.

"You people better get on outta here!" Nick called out to the civilians as he rode a green wave of water toward the Souja. "Unless you wanna get wiped out, too!" He hopped off the wave and let it crash into the machine. "And you're due for a wash!"

The civilians did heed Nick's warning and stormed away not to get caught in the battle. Nick landed in front of a fire hydrant and with a hand wave caused it to burst open, unleashing a violent torrent of water to blast it. In response, the sentry shot rays from its eyes to tear through the water.

"Sis, I could use your help! Where are ya?!" Nick gritted as he tried hold off SOUJA-16 on his own.

Just then, Nick's luck couldn't have been any worse as the remaining two Souja units arrived to help their cohort.

"Great, Nick, ya just had to shoot open your big stupid mouth, huh?" He mumbled, finding it much harder to focus on one Souja, let alone three.

However, it didn't take long for Coinshot to arrive. She hopped over a car and ran past fleeing civilians. She sighted Nick holding off one Souja with a water blast.

"Nick...!" Penny cried out. She saw the other two Soujas advancing toward him. She pulled out a roll of pennies. "Leave my Nickel alone, assholes!" She quickly tossed in the air and hit it with a palm strike. The force of her push snapped open the roll and launched fifty green projectiles into a spread with the force of a shotgun blast.

The spread tore into the back left leg of one of the Souja stalking toward Penny. It was one labeled, ' _ **SOUJA-11**_ '. SOUJA-11 turned around and stumbled over. It saw that its leg was crushed and disabled. It veered over to Penny and locked its scanners over her, but saw she was gone.

Penny said, taking out her trusted silver dollar. "I'm the last face you'll ever hunt again!" With a cool smirk, she took a gamble, jumped out from behind a car, and flipped said silver dollar. She locked eyes on the sentry's head and timed the coin's fall.

As the silver dollar fell right into her hand, glowing a bright green, she flicked her thumb forward, sending a green streak flying through the Souja's head, quickly taking it out with a headshot.

 _ **Boom!**_

"Whoa, sis! Ya broke out your _**Silver Dollar Shot**_!"

"Ugh," Penny sighed in disgust. "I wish you wouldn't name my shots like that. Nickel. This isn't anime!"

"Whatever you say, sis!" Nick yelled out excitedly, which helped give him the push needed to fight his Souja opponent. "Eyes on me, big guy!" He manipulated the water under his feet, which he used to shift toward the other Souja, labeled ' _ **SOUJA-15**_ '. "Let's see how ya like being in a water seal!" He moved his hands around and formed a green water sphere that trapped the Souja within. "Yeah, got ya!"

The other Souja, SOUJA-16, that Nick fought with fired a beam that stunned him. Nick had his guard down, even just a few seconds, that allowed this Souja to neutralize him. As Nick lost consciousness, the water sphere around SOUJA-15 dissipated.

"NICK!" Penny cried out, running over to get him, but the Souja fired a blast near her. "Shit!"

Suddenly, a wormhole appeared and caught the blasts before they even reached Penny.

She gasped. "Scott?! You're here?!" She turned to see Scott arriving with Marty and Carmen. "Great timing!"

As the first wormhole caught the blasts, another wormhole opened up behind the Souja and deflected the blasts into its back.

"Nick!" Penny called out to her fallen brother. She tried rushing over to him, but SOUJA-16 kept her, Marty, Carmen, and Scott at bay.

The Souja opened fire with eye beams ten feet away.

"Get close to me!" Marty commanded as the other three huddled close to him. He then grabbed them and expanded his invisible aura.

 **(End theme)**

The Souja's eye beams continued going until they were about five feet away. The beams started thinning out and and vanished long before making contact with the West Coasters. Marty had used his negate ability, creating an invisible aura that nullified the machine's beams. But while the negate power did stop the attack, the other West Coasters with Marty had their powers cut off as long as they were in his aura.

"Sis... what's going on? Ugh... got such a killer headache," Nick groaned, feeling his head aching and the blast causing a temporary paralysis that kept him down. He saw the Souja he had trapped was loose from its water prison. "Hell naw... all that work I did... amounts to nothin'?!"

Green blasts showered from the sky and blasted SOUJA-16 back.

" _Nice shots, Andrea!_ " Carmen ecstatically cheered her biggest fan and friend, who flew down to reconvene with them.

"Andrea?!" Nick gasped in genuine surprise. "Thanks for the save!"

 **(Cue Attack on Titan OST –** _ **Eren's Berserk Theme**_ **(1:21-2:41))**

BioPharaohmon descended and glared intently at SOUJA-16. The Biomerged Digimon charged forward and locked up with the Souja. The machine shot tendrils from its hands to grab BioPharaohmon, but the Digimon brushed the metal tendrils aside and moved around behind the Souja.

"Let's see how you like being disassembled!' BioPharaohmon yelled out, in Lance's voice, as he grabbed and lifted the Souja overhead. As he felt the heat of battle, his body would get bathed in red light. His armor exterior would also shift from a normal gold and white to crimson and orange. His eyes would also gleam purple and shoot out light. A sadist's grin, exuding pleasure, would form on his face while he's about to tear his robotic foe apart.

BioPharaohmon tugged and pulled. While the sentry tried breaking loose from the behemoth's grip, it couldn't and was torn it half.

BioPharaohmon slammed the two halved Souja parts down. The upper body tried a last resort and fly using a second pair of jet propulsion in its hands, but BioPharaohmon wouldn't have none of that and grabbed him mid-flight.

"Nuh uh, where do you think you're going?!" BioPharaohmon roared, smashing his fist over the Souja's head and crushing it.

 _ **Crush!**_

"Feel the wrath of the pharaoh!" He planted a foot on the machine's disemboweled body, standing tall like a powerful Egyptian pharaoh.

 **(End theme)**

Marty beckoned Penny, Carmen, and Scott to go get Nick. Once leaving his aura, their powers returned to them. Andrea hurried over to Marty and watched him relax his body, a sign he had just turned off his aura.

Andrea smiled. "You did good, Marty."

Just then, Nick felt feeling back in his right hand and arm. He set his sights on the last Souja.

"And don't ya think ya can get away either," Nick frowned, making hand movements summoning two green swords made of water. He charged toward SOUJA-15 with his swords in front of him, making an _**'X'**_ slash that cut through the robot's torso from shoulder to hip in each direction, severing its artificial life for good. Nick dropped to one knee with both arms outstretched in a 'Finishing Pose'.

"Got ya, robo-dude," Nick slowly rose once more. "Sis...? Hey, is Penny okay?!" He saw Penny, Andrea, and Scott rushing over to him. "Sis! We did it!" He dashed forward and hugged Penny.

"You had me worried back there, idiot," Penny said, hugging him back. "We did kick some ass, thoughm didn't we?"

"Sure did, sis."

Penny finished hugging and hurried over to retrieve her lucky silver dollar.

"Can't believe we managed to pull this off despite the Soujas trying to ambush us," Andrea said.

"Stronghold's lost and who knows if these Soujas might've transmitted some images of our headquarters to other units. They'll come looking for it..."

"But, they won't be finding us there, Scott," Marty said. "C'mon, despite our efforts, there's been damage done to this area and police will be coming. We don't want to get taken in as suspects. Let's reconvene in the outskirts. Lance!"

BioPharaohmon overheard Marty sorting plans with the other West Coasters. "I'm on it. Let's get out of here!"

The West Coasters quickly stormed out from the scene. It was only few minutes later that local police and military came to investigate the aftermath of the Souja battle.

Hiding in the shadows on a rooftop, a man in a business suit with long red hair tied in a ponytail and a neatly trimmed red beard, stood watching the team through a pair of binoculars. He lowered his binoculars and narrowed his green eyes. This wasn't the first or the last he'd seen of the West Coasters.

xxxxx

 _ **Outskirts of Seattle/11:38 PM**_

Marty reconvened with the West Coasters after collecting some essentials from the Stronghold.

"I don't know for how long, but we're staying away from Stronghold for a while. We don't want to risk more unwanted Souja guests ruining our fun," he said, dropping the bag of the belongings he retrieved from Stronghold. "Any ideas for a temporary place to set up shop?"

"There's that boat close to here that looks abandoned. We can check it over and see if no one's using it?" Scott suggested pointing to the northeast direction.

Andrea nodded. "We can set shop temporarily and shift around different places until it's good to go back to Stronghold."

"Yeah, sounds like a plan," Lance concurred as the Pharaohmon sprite explicitly smiled.

" _I don't know. Isn't it still too dangerous to go back anymore?_ " Carmen asked.

"She does have a point," added Penny.

"Aw, man, I liked Stronghold. It was like a second home," Nick sounded bummed.

"We'll see how this relocation goes and then we'll decide what to do with Stronghold, but chances are we might not be able to use it again," Marty announced. "Now, let's go find this boat Scott's alluding to and get some rest. We had a rough night."

" _Rough_ is not what I'd describe tonight," Penny scoffed.

Stretching and yawning, Nick replied. "You're telling me. I feel like I could sleep for days."

" _I'm tired, too,_ " Carmen nodded as Andrea put an arm over her.

"Don't worry. A good night's rest and some breakfast is all we'll need to recharge," Andrea said in a motherly way.

"Lance," Marty addressed the Tamer. "You and Pharaohmon really saved our asses out there. Thanks a lot."

"Sure," Lance nodded to him.

 **(Cue Young Justice OST –** _ **Star City**_ **)**

As the West Coasters headed straight for the boat, Andrea approached Scott, who was leading the way.

"By the way, Scott, you didn't explain what delayed you. You were going to say...?"

Scott clenched a fist and gritted. "Yeah, on my way here, I was attacked..."

"By who...?"

"Some guy, but I couldn't make out this face. He had electrical powers that gave off a green glow like the energy from those Rajita craft. I had to use my powers to protect myself, but the next thing I knew, the guy was gone and I'm on the run from the Soujas. I thought I lost them, but seems I was wrong."

The other West Coasters were shocked to hear Scott's account.

"Another Meta attacked you?" Penny asked.

However, Andrea snapped. "Wait, you led the Soujas to Stronghold?!"

"I said I thought I lost them! I'm sorry...!"

Marty cut Scott off and nodded. He also reasoned with Andrea. "Scott, there's no need to apologize. Let's all just regroup, rest, and talk this out in the morning."

With that, the West Coasters headed for the closest shore to find the boat they were looking for.

As they occupied the ship, Andrea briefly confronted and whispered to Marty.

"Want me to read this mind to dig anything out?"

"No, don't. Let's just wait things out. And remember, I've seen Metas that enjoy hurting others, including their own kind." Marty replied. _Electrical powers? That's just like the Meta that attacked me in Japan!_ _But it couldn't be... could it?_

 **(End theme)**

xxxxx

Next chapter: _**Carmen – Songblade**_

xxxxx

 **A/N:** What a way to end this chapter. Hints of some bad Metas running loose and attacking their own kind? And who could've attacked Scott? You'll find out when the next chapter gets released. And no, the bad Metas are none you've seen before, so no use speculating what pre-existing characters were involved in the attack.

Penny's powers were very trick to explain and write. Lazer had to pretty much clarify how her powers work and how much force her shots give. I'm not used to writing a character with abilities that rely on such precision. But, naturally, origin stories are the hardest part to write for a character. As I continue to write with her, my grasp on Penny's powers should come to me much easier.

On Penny's character, she's, according to LazerWulf, cool and aloof like early-Rika and outgoing like Rainbow Dash.

To clarify on Penny's power being compared to Misaka Mikoto, Lazer will explain in his notes. But, as far as I can tell you: while I can see the connection, the source of their abilities couldn't be anymore different. Misaka is more of an electromaster and her signature attack, ' _Railgun_ ', relies on electromagnetism launch a coin at super high speeds. Penny is more of a telekinetic who can only control metal, and can only push it away from her, not pull it towards her or move it sideways. The metal doesn't have to be able to hold a magnetic charge (since most US coins don't) for her to be able to use it. She can actually sense all the metal around her, but only via concentration.

Between these two characters, Penny is nowhere near as strong and would be completely overpowered by Misaka. At best, Penny can launch a silver dollar with the force of a .50 caliber rifle, but that's still more than enough to do decent damage to a Souja as demonstrated in this chapter.

Using pennies are very special as she, as also demonstrated in this chapter, can break open a roll of them, throw them in the air, palm them, and the force of the push breaks open the roll into a shotgun-like spread.

Her joining the archery team is just an excuse to have her shoot things, even if just paper, and will help with her accuracy in the long run.

And yes her lucky silver dollar that she's kept gives her own signature move, the ' _Silver Dollar Shot_ '.

Now, here's Lazer to explain Penny's profile.

LazerWulf's note:

Penny's origin came about 5 or 6 years ago, for a much different setting than YYGDM. I had thought of a character who was an assassin who could flick pennies with deadly accuracy, and the name "Penny Banks" just kind of fit, but the character never really grew beyond that, until a few years later, when Kanius thought up the idea for the West Coasters.

The 'Polynesian twins' angle was actually a holdover from when Kanius wanted to make Sailors Haumea and Makemake original characters who were Polynesian twins, until I convinced him that it would be better to use Miho and Vivian. So we brought back that idea, made one of the twins a boy, and named him 'Nickel', which became Nick to everyone but his sister. We also made them half-Caucasion Navy Brats to explain why they're in San Diego. Their birthday is May 5, if anyone is interested.

Some of you may have drawn a connection between the name 'Coinshot' and Misaka Mikoto, but actually, it comes from Brandon Sanderson's _**'Mistborn'**_ novels, and after borrowing that name, I decided to model more of Penny's powers after the Coinshots in the books, including her 'Metal Sense'. The _'Silver Dollar Shot'_ , though part of her original concept, has been retroactively modeled after Mikoto's _'Railgun'_ , though, as a bit of a nod. (Similarly, Marty's powers are more inspired by Morioka Kouhei from _**'Tsukuyomi: Moon Phase'**_ than by Kamijou Touma. Touma's power is concentrated in his right hand, while Marty's is a full-body aura, but we'll get to that in a later chapter.)

Kanius: Ok, me again. Hope this clarifies Penny's character backstory and her abilities.

Next chapter, it's Carmen's origin story and one that LazerWulf is excited for. Meanwhile, the West Coasters endure a smear campaign and the story's villains will be unveiled. More or less, the present day scenes will be a set-up chapter and light on action stuff, but nonetheless important stuff still happens.

Until then, please do send a review. We'd like some feedback on our first original story. And with that, this chapter's done. Stay cool.


	3. Carmen - Songblade

**A/N:** Ok finally getting back to this fic. Sorry, me and my beta didn't mean to keep you waiting again for over two months. At least this chapter will make up for the wait.

This chapter shall entail Carmen/Songblade's origins and the villains of this story will be revealed. This one, particularly Carmen's story, is something my beta/friend, LazerWulf, is deeply looking forward to. Hope you all will enjoy it.

xxxxx

 _ **Portland, Oregon/Slums/Abandoned Building/November 29, 2003/8:57 PM**_

Having been driven away by society, a group of homeless transients were squatting in an abandoned building. Like nomads, they travel around different parts of the city to get by with whatever they can find to survive. Whether it be food scraps, used clothing, and abandoned essentials. Some have turned to begging and others became thieves out of desperation.

Within this group, a homeless Latina mother and her daughter camped with a fire in front of them.

The mother, Esperanza Santiago, had just returned from getting something for her daughter, Carmen Santiago. They were celebrating Carmen's 14th birthday. Since they were homeless, it wasn't the extravagant birthday a young girl could ask for, but due to their current situation it was acceptable.

"Carmen, happy birthday, my love," Esperanza said with affection to the only family she has left. She handed Carmen a small brown bag with something in it.

As she received the bag, Carmen opened it and became elated with what she saw. It was a hand-carved wooden pendant on a thin leather cord. She took out the necklace and looked over it with a smile.

"Thank you, mama!" Carmen said, hugging her mother. "I love it."

"Would you like to try it on now? I bet it will look nicer on you."

"Yeah, I'll be right back," Carmen ran off to one of the large windows in the side of the building to use as a mirror. The young teen slipped the necklace over her neck, then smiled as she checked herself out.

 **(Cue The Legend of Korra OST –** _ **Republic City Under Attack**_ **(2:27-4:02))**

Suddenly, a loud rumbling emanated outside the abandoned building. The homeless became alarmed as they heard the loud commotion. They heard the unfamiliar sounds of immense energy beams and the firing of military weapons outside.

The invading Rajita forces had reached this side of the western American coast. They started their campaign to invade and harvest the life energies of the American people.

Standing in front of the window as she was, Carmen had a front-row seat as several green explosions lit up the night sky. She turned towards her mother.

"Mama, look!" she called out. "What's happening?"

However, Esperanza and the other homeless residents had also seen what was going on outside, and were huddled together in the middle of the room for protection.

"Carmen! Get away from the window!"

She heard the cry of her mother and turned to head out. However, another explosion occurred outside and she turned just in time to see one of the alien fighter ships launch a green blast of energy right at the building they were in.

 _ **Boom!**_

The blast tore through the building and ignited a concussive explosion that launched Carmen through the window and into a pile of trash bags on the street below.

As she lost consciousness, she watched in horror as the building, once a home for the homeless, collapsed in on itself, little knowing that her mother's voice, crying out in warning, would be the last thing she ever heard.

 **(End theme)**

xxxxx

Chapter 3

 _ **Carmen – Songblade**_

xxxxx

 _ **Local Hospital/December 2, 2003/9:26 AM**_

Carmen awoke in a hospital bed with bandages wrapped around her head. The room was eerily silent.

"HELLO!?" she cried out. Or, at least, she thought she did, because she couldn't even hear her own voice. Panic started to rise in her chest. "HEY! IS ANYONE THERE?"

But though she couldn't hear her voice, others could, and soon, a man in blue hospital scrubs and a white lab coat entered her room with a pair of notebooks in his hand. He opened one of them, took a pen from his pocket, and wrote, in large letters, _Please calm down. You're shouting._

"I CAN'T HEAR ANYTHING!" Carmen replied.

 **(Cue Sword Art Online OST –** _ **A Tender Feeling**_ **)**

With a look of sadness in his eye, the doctor wrote down, _Yes, I know._ He then flipped back to an earlier page in the notebook, tore it out, and gave it to her, the message obviously written beforehand.

 _You were in an explosion,_ she read. _Rescue workers found you and brought you here. The blast ruptured your eardrums and shattered the bones in your middle ear. Your inner ear doesn't seem to have been affected, so you shouldn't have any balance issues, and while your eardrum will eventually heal, I'm afraid the hearing loss is quite permanent._

She looked up and noticed that the doctor had written something else on his notebook. _My name is Dr. Singh. What's yours?_

Carmen started to answer, but Dr. Singh held up a hand and gestured to the other notebook and pen, now laying on the bed next to her. She grabbed them and scribbled down her name. _Carmen Santiago._

 _Carmen. What a lovely name,_ the doctor wrote.

 _Where is my mother?_ Carmen asked.

Dr. Singh paused, as if trying to figure out the best way to deliver bad news, before finally writing, _I'm sorry, but there were no other survivors from that area._

This stark admission finally broke her, and all she could do was weep.

xxxxx

 _ **Hospital/December 12, 2003/2:14 PM**_

After the doctors evaluated her, Carmen was discharged from the hospital and

released into the custody of the state. Having no luck finding any living relatives, the state placed her in the care of Andrew and Carol Foreman, a couple who had experience with deaf children.

Although no one knew Esperanza's fate, Carmen knew, deep down, the explosion had likely claimed her mother's life. It took a few days for her to accept this possibility, as much as it pained her. She clutched at the pendant around her neck, the only memento of her mother that she had left.

xxxxx

 _ **Foreman Residence/Carmen's Room/4:42 PM**_

The Foremans walked Carmen into what would be her room. The room was still a work in progress as walls still needed to be painted. The last foster child had been a boy. Carmen was the fourth deaf child placed under their care, and they had promised to help her adjust to her new life.

Carmen sat on her new bed, trying to take in her new environment. The Foremans sat down beside her, communicating through small white boards and dry erase markers. She was assured she'd be under good care. After a few days of adjusting, the Foremans worked with Carmen teaching her sign language, which she picked up on very quickly much to the couple's surprise. It was also helped by the fact Carol's mother is also deaf and furthered Carmen's sign language training. She was able to get gist of the basics and readily tackled advanced sign language.

Once Christmas came around the corner, Carmen experienced her first traditional Christmas celebration around a Christmas tree and gifts. She received clothes, but no present could never compete with the necklace she received from her mother. But, seeing how much the Foremans cared enough to give her gifts, she was thankful she now had a home that wasn't in some abandoned building in the slums.

She only wished she and her mother could've lived this lifestyle.

" _Merry Christmas, Carmen,_ " Carol signed. _"May this be a fresh start to a better life."_

 **(End theme)**

xxxxx

 _ **Foreman Residence/April 1, 2004/6:03 PM**_

The Foreman couple stopped by the living room. They saw Carol's mother teaching Carmen some new sign language to learn from. Carmen formed some signs in conjunction with her foster grandmother.

" _Very good, Carmen,"_ the older woman nodded in approval. _"You're getting better with this."_

Carmen replied with a smile. Her brief moment of happiness was cut off by a sudden headache that subdued her. She grabbed the sides of her head and cringed from the stinging pain flowing through her head.

" _Carmen?"_ Her foster grandmother tended to her, confused as to what was hurting her.

" _Carmen! What's wrong?"_ Carol asked as she and Andrew checked on her. _"Is your head hurting?"_

" _Do you need to go lie down?"_ Andrew asked, offering to help the girl, but like his wife and mother-in-law couldn't figure out what's wrong with Carmen.

As Carmen rubbed her temples, she looked around the room and noticed waves of of blue, purple, and green coming out of the air vents. _"I'm fine, I think. Just a little dizzy."_

She got up and headed for the kitchen to get herself a glass of water.

" _Carmen, please tell us if you're ok,"_ Carol asked worryingly.

After Carmen drank a glass of water, she turned off the sink faucet halfway and noticed small flashes of blue inklets coming out of the sink. She noticed water drops falling on the spoon. Each drop seemed to produce blue colored waves. She dropped her glass in shock. The sound of the glass shattering produced red inklets of light. She jumped back in surprise at the sight of the colored light.

" _Carmen?"_ Carol approached her foster daughter. _"Are you ok? Did you cut yourself?"_

Carmen nodded and signed. _"No, I'm fine. I saw something coming out of the air vents. And when water drops hit the sink. And when I dropped the glass."_

" _What did you see?"_ Carol signed.

" _Colors. Like drops of ink or something."_

As Andrew cleaned up the glass, Carol sat down with Carmen. The girl explained to her foster mother and grandmother the strange colors she saw. She grabbed a fork and dropped it on the ground. She saw green drops for a second and pointed it out to Carol.

Carol asked in concern. _"What am I supposed to see?"_

Carmen signed. _"Green light when the fork hit the floor. Did you not see it?"_

" _I didn't see anything."_

It was apparent only Carmen could see this light and her foster family couldn't. It's not as if they didn't want to believe her, but they couldn't see what she was viewing with her own eyes.

xxxxx

 _ **Foreman Residence/April 5, 2004/1:37 PM**_

After a few days and trips to several clinics and specialists, the doctors diagnosed Carmen with synesthesia, specifically Chromesthesia, a form of synesthesia in which sound is interpreted as color. Carmen didn't what know to make of this, and her foster parents were equally confused.

Carmen sat near a piano and glanced over the keys in front of her. The doctors told her that her sound-color synesthesia would make her consciously aware of color perception while listening to music.

Every time she used the piano, she'd see the keys producing varied colors when pressing them. One key would be bright red, another would be purple, the one next to the purple would be blue, and a key on the right far would be green.

She pressed on a key that turned pink. She then pushed a key that became dark red. She noticed the two keys she touched produced a color combination that was aesthetically pleasing. When she pressed a green and a yellow, it played a the colors turned harsh and discordant. She tapped several keys (red, blue, yellow and purple) that played a calm melody she liked. She thought of a song she saw on the radio and practiced the melody. Initially, she didn't get it exactly how she wanted. She slowly followed a pattern and pressed keys that created a melody akin to what she remembered.

The Foremans watched her play and were amazed with her piano performance. Their presence didn't deter her from playing more. Her mind shifted elsewhere as she got absorbed by the music she played. She only stopped when the song she memorized ended. She saw her foster parents clapping.

Carmen managed a smile as her foster parents praised her performance. She used sign language telling them. _"I still need more practice. I missed a few keys."_

Carol responded with signs. _"It's ok. Just keep practicing. You played very good for a first time."_

Carmen never felt better than to hear the praise from others. But, she wanted to do better. Playing music seemed to become her new calling to life.

xxxxx

 _ **Local Park/April 23, 2004/5:45 PM**_

The Foremans took Carmen to the local park in order to get her out more. She took in the fresh air and the nice scenery of the park's lake.

After feeding some ducks with bread, Carmen noticed something peculiar she never experienced before. She looked over to her right to see a couple. She somehow could 'read' what they're saying.

She couldn't hear what they said, but she was somehow able to understand when they spoke words out loud as the sounds formed themselves into visible words. She stared at them enough to understand their conversation, causing the couple to look at her awkwardly.

"You got a staring problem or something?" The girl scoffed, giving her the cold shoulder.

"C'mon, let's leave her alone and go some place else," the man asked, grabbing her arm and leading his girlfriend away.

" _Carmen? What's wrong?"_ Carol noticed the Latina girl looking spaced out.

" _Carmen? Did they say something to you?_ " Andrew asked her.

Carmen replied with sign language. _"No, but I could see what they were saying."_

" _Well, what did they say?"_ asked Carol.

" _The girl said I had a staring problem. The guy told his friend to leave me alone."_ She sighed. " _I'm ready to go to go home,"_ she said to them.

Over the next few months, Carmen's new ability allowed her to verbally understand what other people would say. This allowed her to carry decent conversations with her foster parents and function almost normally in society.

xxxxx

 _ **Portland, Oregon/Lincoln High School/September 1, 2004/12:45 PM**_

Several months past spring and summer, the school season had just started up a week and a half ago. It was Carmen's Freshman year. Having been homeschooled through the previous year, Carmen was enrolled later while her foster parents filled out her paperwork.

On her first day, Carmen's morning classes got off without a hitch. Thanks to her ability, she was able to understand the teachers, even when they were facing the blackboard, and had a notebook, not unlike the one that Dr. Singh had given her, with which to communicate to others. After lunch, however, was the class she was most looking forward to, American Sign Language. While pen and paper worked adequately, it wasn't as fast as sign language, and she was hoping to find others in the class that could understand it. On her way, she went inside and accidentally bumped into someone.

"Oh, sorry!" A girl's voice said, apologizing to Carmen. "I was in a hurry because of the bell."

Carmen paused and glanced over the girl she bumped into. She faced an attractive Native American teen girl. She had bronze skin and long black hair in a braid down her back. She was wearing a denim jacket, a white t-shirt, long khaki pants, and regular blue tennis shoes. She also had alluring hazel eyes, which settled on Carmen.

 _That's okay,_ Carmen quickly wrote down.

"You're the new girl, right?" The Native American girl queried, before switching to signing. _"I suspect you know sign language?"_

Carmen nodded and used sign language. _"Yes."_

" _Do you also read lips?"_

Carmen nodded again with a smile. _"I guess you could say that."_

"Oh good, I can understand sign language because my mother's deaf, but my signing is a bit clumsy..." She paused as the warning bell rang. "C'mon, let's get to class. I'm Jessica, by the way. Jessica Nightwind."

Carmen held up the notebook with her name printed on it.

"Oh, so you're name is Carmen Santiago?" Jessica asked. "Nice to meet you."

Once Carmen and Jessica walked into the classroom, they sat down next to one another.

"Anyway, so you're deaf and mute, and I can tell you're experienced using sign language. Who taught you?"

Carmen responded telling Jessica about her foster parents.

"I see. You live with foster parents. That's really neat. What about your real parents?"

The Latina lowered her eyes, giving an indication of sadness on her eyes and explicitly downbeat demeanor. _"My mom died in the explosion that caused my deafness. I never knew who my father was."_

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to get personal..."

Carmen nodded and replied. " _I'm fine. Let's help each other out to pass this class."_

"Well, I'm already pretty fluent. The only reason I'm taking this class is for an easy-A," Jessica replied with a sly grin. "Just don't tell the teacher that."

" _I won't say a thing,"_ Carmen signed, winking.

Jessica giggled. "Ok, thanks."

Once the bell rang, the ASL teacher, a Latina woman named Mrs. Garcia, welcomed her 5th period class and called over Carmen to introduce herself to a class of ten. Naturally nervous, Carmen used signs to introduce herself, which Mrs. Garcia translated for those who weren't fluent. She got a welcoming response from her classmates. Carmen walked back over next to Jessica.

"Don't worry. Mrs. Garcia's a cool teacher. I think you'll do just fine here," Jessica whispered. "It also helps this class is small."

" _Ok, class, let's begin,"_ Mrs. Garcia announced. She then shifted over and addressed her newest student. _"And Carmen, don't worry we'll review what you missed briefly after class."_

Carmen responded with smile and signed, _"Thank you."_

xxxxx

 _ **School Front Entrance/4:05 PM**_

Carmen and Jessica waited for their rides, but conversed to pass the time.

"...so because of your synesthesia, you can literally read what other people are saying, even if you can't see their lips?" Jessica asked.

Carmen nodded. _"The doctors said that they've never seen synesthesia develop quite like that. For the most part, I can pass it off as lip reading, but I have to be careful when responding so as to not freak people out."_

"You've only been deaf for less than a year, right? How come you don't talk? With that ability, you could probably pass yourself off as not being deaf at all!"

Carmen shook her head. _"I can't control the volume of my voice, so I have a tendency to shout. After a certain point, signing and writing is just easier. Besides, I'm not ashamed of letting people know I'm deaf."_

Jessica blushed. "Er… no, I didn't mean it that way… I mean, I know there's nothing wrong with being deaf…"

" _Relax,"_ Carmen signed. _"I know what you meant."_

Suddenly, a dark brown pickup truck drove up the parking lot with a Native man inside waving to Jessica.

"Oh, that's my dad. I'll be seeing you tomorrow then?"

" _Tomorrow?"_

"Yeah, we have the same ASL class and I think we have the same lunch period. Ok, see you, Carmen!" Jessica hugged Carmen. "Let this be the start of a new and wonderful friendship." She walked down to the car and waved to Carmen. "Who knows? I could have you met my mom sometime!"

Carmen waved back and smiled, watching Jessica get into the truck. Her first day of school went better than expected and she made a new friend. Her life has turned around since becoming deaf, losing her mother and becoming an orphan.

xxxxx

 _ **Foreman Residence/Carmen's Room/December 3, 2004/10:30 PM**_

Sitting at a desk in her room, Carmen idly browsed the internet on the computer the Foremans had gotten her for her fifteenth birthday earlier that week. It had been one year since that fateful day, and it was a year of bittersweet memories. She had lost her mother, and her hearing, but had gained a new family in the Foremans, and a new friend in Jessica.

Carmen glanced at her cell phone, another birthday gift. She was expecting a text message from Jessica. Carmen wondered if she might've forgotten about tonight's arrangement.

Then, a blue pulse of light from her window caught her attention. As she watched, she saw a small pebble hit the window and produce another blue pulse from the contact. Carmen got up and saw Jessica crouching over and waving to her outside the window.

"Carmen!" Jessica said.

Carmen crawled over her bed and opened the window.

"Are your parents asleep yet?" Jessica asked her.

" _They should be."_

"Ok, about tonight. Did you still want to go?"

Carmen nodded. _"You still haven't told me where we're going, though."_

"Consider it a belated birthday surprise. You told me you love to listen to music," Jessica smiled and grabbed Carmen's hand. "I think you're going to love this place. C'mon before your parents wake up. Did you at least lock your door?"

Carmen nodded and climbed out the window.

xxxxx

 _ **The Club/11:15 PM**_

 **(Cue Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex 2'nd Gig OST –** _ **Rise**_ **(1:06-2:58))**

Carmen and Jessica entered _The Club_ , a nightclub that's been called the most popular weekend hub for young people. Jessica had procured a pair of fake IDs, which the bouncer had barely glanced at. They passed through a crowd and entered a dance floor. Carmen's eyes gleamed upon the lively dance area.

"Like it so far?" Jessica asked her.

Carmen nodded as she started getting entranced by the house music being played. To her eyes, it was a marvelous symphony of color, permeating the room. Jessica noticed a radiant smile forming on her friend's face. She had never seen Carmen this enamored before.

"Looks like I found us the perfect place to hang out," Jessica was elated to see Carmen happy. "You want to dance?" She took Carmen's hand and led her to the dance area.

As the friends danced, Carmen glanced over to the DJ playing the music and saw intense colors coming from the music beats.

"Hey, Carmen, are you ok?" Jessica noticed Carmen seemingly spacing out amidst the dancing.

Carmen maintained her view on the DJ playing, which Jessica took notice.

"That's the DJ that often plays here," Jessica muttered, noticing Carmen's elated smile widen.

It was that moment Carmen not only fell in love with house music, but she took an interest in DJing. Having some piano practice, Carmen thought it would be a good time as any to work her way into pursuing this.

xxxxx

 _ **The Club/May 14, 2005/1:45 AM**_

Over five months have passed and Carmen's love for house music had lured her to the club every other weekend. Her friendship with Jessica helped her discover a new passion in music. She had even bought some music software for her computer and started teaching herself how to use it to create tracks of her own. She learned, from a technical standpoint, which sounds produced which colors, and which colors blended together best, and how that related to the different chords and keys in music.

But that was for other nights. Friday nights were for dancing.

"Carmen, are we ready to go?" Jessica asked her friend, who was still in the zone and absorbed by the music. "C'mon, let's get going. I'm beat."

 **(End theme)**

xxxxx

 _ **Alley/2:20 AM**_

"Gosh, sometimes I think you're getting way too into the music," Jessica sighed, tired from the dancing. "I've gotta be back home already. My family and I have something to do tomorrow morning. So much for getting a good night's sleep tonight."

As the friends passed by an alley, three men wearing black from head to toe, including ski masks, came out of nowhere and pushed Jessica into Carmen. The girls got off each other and turned to see one of the men holding a knife over them.

"Ok, ladies, give me any money you got!" The attacker demanded, brandishing his knife, a hunting blade about six inches long.

The other two were snickering over their latest prey.

"Oh god... I don't even have any money on me..." Jessica whimpered fearfully.

 **(Cue Sword Art Online OST –** _ **A Tense Situation**_ **)**

The man grabbed Jessica up. Carmen, scared out of her mind, acted on pure instinct and grabbed the man's leg.

"Hey, let me go bitch!" The man growled, kicking Carmen off.

She held on the man's leg and bit his calf, causing him to let Jessica go. The other two grabbed Carmen and pulled her off, throwing her to the ground. Her head hit the concrete and dazed her.

"That'll teach you to bite me!" The lead attacker once again grabbed Jessica and raised his knife to her. "Maybe I oughta strip search you then!" He lowered his knife over Jessica's blouse and decided to search for any money she might have, but darker and more perverse thoughts filled his mind.

"Yeah, check and see if she's holding out on us!" One of the other two men suggested.

"Stop! Let me go!" Jessica pleaded.

Carmen slowly stirred and looked up to see the robber holding Jessica.

"Please, I swear I have no money!"

"Guess we'll see if you're holding out on me then. If you are, then you're dead!"

The man pulled back on Jessica's hair and started cutting open her blouse. Amidst Jessica's screams, Carmen frantically searched for something, any object, to defend herself with. Just as he was about to rip open her blouse, Carmen finally grasped something, she instinctively swung it at the attacker. The other two laughed and taunted Jessica's hopeless situation.

Next thing the attacker knew, he felt a large slash across his chest. He let Jessica go and grasped his chest where blood seeped out of the deep wound.

"Oh my god! Boss, what happened?!" One of the two men asked, scared out of his wits.

The other put an arm over his wounded colleague. "That girl... where the fuck did she get that?!"

"Look, who cares?! Let's go!" The boss yelled out.

Spooked, the attacker and his friends ran off from the scene, leaving Carmen and Jessica behind. Jessica was seen panting and crying hysterically. Carmen, on the other hand, just realized that she held a sword made out of some kind of weird green crystal, which seemingly came as soon as she hit the attacker. But, she didn't recall picking up a sword.

Then, a realization just dawned on her. She blanched and examined the sword, and remembered seeing the shape form itself out of the sound of Jessica's scream. In her confusion, she had reached out towards it, the synesthetic shape somehow solidifying into a crystallized state. The green light pulsed like a heartbeat. Carmen was briefly entranced by the glowing object in her hand. She somehow made the sword appear in conjunction with Jessica's scream.

 **(End theme)**

As she heard her friend coughing, Carmen threw the sword aside as it dissolved into harmless sparks.

"Carmen... oh thank god... you're ok..." Jessica turned around and saw Carmen in a state of disarray. She crawled over and hugged Carmen. "I'm so glad you're ok." She cried on Carmen's shoulder.

Carmen hugged her friend tight and cried with her.

Carmen used sign to communicate. _"I'm glad you're ok, too, Jessica."_

"I just want to go home."

Nodding, Carmen took Jessica back home.

xxxxx

 _ **The Club/May 26, 2006/10:45 PM**_

It's been a little over one year since Carmen discovered her powers. Since then, she had figured out how to synthesize tunes to make several different weapons out of her 'soundlight', mostly blades, and had asked her foster parents to enroll her in an Okinawan kobudo class, so that she would know how to use them.

The Foremans, not knowing about their foster daughter's new powers, were a bit hesitant at first, but Carmen argued that it would be good self-defense training, and they ultimately obliged.

Carmen also continued to work on her DJing. Originally, she was only creating the tracks for her own enjoyment, because she couldn't know how they would sound to others. After playing one of them for Jessica, however, her friend had encouraged her to post them online, and with Jessica's help, the persona of DJ Songblade was formed, taking her name from Carmen's unique ability.

Her tracks quickly gained a cult following, catching the attention of the owner of _The Club_ , who reached out to her and offered her the chance to debut at his club on the Friday of Memorial Day weekend.

"Ok, now put your hands together for our newest DJ!" An announcer shouted amidst a noisy and lively crowd. "You've heard her tracks online, but tonight is her live debut! Please give a warm welcome to DJ Songblade!"

Stepping forward on the stage was Carmen, aka DJ Songblade. But, unlike other DJ artists that love drawing attention to themselves, Carmen's style of dress was very subdued and casual. She was wearing blue jeans, a dark purple hoodie with the hood up, and goggles with mirrored lenses. She also wore a pair of large Bose headphones, which let her feel the bass line of a track.

Carmen got into the DJ booth and glanced down at the crowd. She spotted Jessica cheering for her, and, judging from the brightness of the soundlight she was producing, her cheers were some of the loudest ones there. Jessica noticed her friend looking at her and signed, _"Show them what you got!"_

 **(Cue Steins;Gate OST –** _ **Hacking to the Gate**_ **(Synthesia))**

Taking a deep breath, she focused and pressed some keys on the keyboard. She started slow and naturally she was nervous on her first time on stage, but then she went deep into her comfort zone and performed her first mix that captivated the audiences.

When it was over, DJ Songblade breathed hard and scanned the audience through her lenses. The crowd's reaction was overwhelmingly positive, giving Carmen a major confidence boost. She noticed Jessica giving her a thumbs-up and smiled to her, before starting on her next live track.

 **(End theme)**

xxxxx

 _Flash forward to present_

xxxxx

 _ **Seattle, Washington/Warehouse District/April 29, 2010/6:30 PM**_

 **(Cue Young Justice OST –** _ **Star City**_ **)**

In some rundown warehouse facility, two individuals crossed some fenced gates as they headed straight past some abandoned warehouses. The two individuals were Metas; one was leading the other to some destination.

The one leading resembled a large humanoid with a body made out of stone, wearing a combat vest, camo pants, and combat boots.

The other was a man in a navy blue hoodie, black jeans, and brown work boots. He had his hood up, shadowing his face, except for two glowing green orbs where his eyes should be, and a jagged green lightning bolt for a smile.

The man in the hoodie closely scanned his surroundings. He noted worn down warehouse district and didn't expect this would be the hideout of the leader of the Meta-criminal underworld.

"Heh, I guess me attacking a bunch of weaksauce Metas for the past few days finally got the attention of the local Meta crime lord, eh?" The man in the hoodie chuckled. "At least I'm finally able to get a meeting with him." He looked ahead as the stone-skinned man led him to his boss. "You've barely said a word since we've been walking here. Guess you just aren't the chatty type."

The walking statue just ignored him.

"Geez, thanks a lot, Mr. Personality," he muttered.

xxxxx

Upon entering the center most warehouse, they walked down a hall and stopped at an office door.

The large gray goliath opened the door him for and replied in a stoic Russian accent. "He will see you now."

 **(End theme)**

As the man walked in with the rock man, he scanned the room and was struck by how much it didn't fit in with its surroundings. It was a very posh office with comfy office chairs for visitors to sit on. There was elaborate paintings hanging on the walls. A dark maroon couch was situated on the right end of the room. The office desk looked like it was made of solid oak. He pivoted toward the chair behind the desk where a man was seated. The 'Meta crime boss' seemed to be a large man. As he got up from his chair, his height gave the man in the hoodie the impression he was not someone to trifle with. The man stood a staggering 6'3" and has a broad-shouldered physique. His hair, a faded red, was short and well-groomed. He had a full, well-trimmed beard and wore a nice black suit, giving the impression more of a wealthy businessman that a gang leader.

"I take it you're the bossman?" The man addressed the crime lord, surprised by his intimidating and well-groomed appearance. "I see I've finally gotten your attention. My name is Buzz."

"Yes, I was wondering why you were attacking Metas in my city," the crime boss addressed him in a rough but polite tone. "I hope my escort, Golem, didn't give you issues?"

"Nah, but he needs to open up and talk. I thought I was gonna die of boredom walking here."

The businessman gave a slight chuckle and smirked. Golem's body reverted back to normal, revealing his real self: a largely built Caucasian man with short blonde hair.

Buzz turned back towards the man behind the desk. "So what is it that you do exactly?"

 **(Cue Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker OST –** _ **Meet the Joker**_ **(0:00-1:29))**

The red-headed man merely smiled. Suddenly, there was a slight shift in the environment. Buzz looked around in befuddlement. He didn't even blink and thought his mind was playing tricks as he saw the posh office changing to look like a typical warehouse.

"What the hell?" Buzz was taken aback by this sudden environment change. _I could've sworn we were in an office. I know we just walked into a warehouse, but now his office is part of the warehouse._

"Tell me has your mind ever played tricks on you?" The man calmly asked Buzz. "You probably notice something different in my office?"

Buzz noted more crates than there actually were before. He saw the crime lord's desk was just a sheet of plywood stretched across several crates. The chairs that were once there have been replaced with crates. The maroon couch and the wall paintings were now gone.

Buzz blinked. _Wait, I thought I just saw a couple of things that were supposed to be there._ When he reopened his eyes, he was flabbergasted when the whole room again changed its whole setting completely. Buzz assumed for sure that he was dreaming when he saw a dungeon in place of the warehouse.

It looked like a classic medieval torture dungeon. There were no windows. There were barely lit torches on the walls. Buzz felt something crawl around his feet and freaked when he saw a large black rat crawling by.

"Gah!" Buzz shouted, shuffling his feet away. _I hate rats! Especially big ones! Ok, this has to be an illusion, I mean, right?!_

"What's the matter?" The man in the suit asked. "You look a little tense. Perhaps you prefer to be somewhere more relaxed? When was the last time you've been on the beach?"

 **(Theme fades)**

 **(Cue Relaxing Tropical Beach and Guitar Music)**

As if that didn't boggle Buzz enough, he turned to his right and saw the entire dungeon become a tropical beach house. He blinked and scanned the beach house setting. When he walked over by a window, he could see the beach, hear the ocean splashing against the sand and the sounds of seagulls, and even felt the salty wind on his face.

 _I know I haven't been smoking lately, but what the hell...? A beach?!_ Buzz was left more disoriented after each scenery change. He spun around and saw the whole room return to its posh office setting. He rubbed his temples and tried to make sense of what happened. "So what, you can create illusions?" He turned to the Meta crime lord. "They all seemed so..."

 **(Theme fades)**

"Real?" The crime lord replied with a calm and composed smirk. He went up to Buzz. "Tell me, which one do you think is my real office?"

Buzz managed a chuckle. "Well, we can X out that dungeon and the beach... although I wish it were the beach. And this office is way too nice for this part of town, so I guess that we're really in a warehouse that actually looks like a warehouse. But honestly, even though I can think through it logically, my instincts can't tell the difference."

"What is reality? What is illusion? To me, it's all a matter of perception," he said, standing right in front of Buzz with arms folded. "I am called Neuromancer."

"I see," he replied as formal as he could.

"So, shall we get to the real reason why you're here?"

Buzz just smiles. "It seems I've come to the right man. My boss has a proposition for you..."

xxxxx

 _ **Neuromancer's Office/April 30, 2010/11:20 AM**_

The next day, Buzz returned to meet with Neuromancer. However, he wasn't the only one. Besides Golem (who was in human form), all of Neuromancer's other Metas have gathered in the office, and were having their blood drawn for an unspecified purpose.

"Buzz, you already met Golem, but allow me to introduce you to my trusted group of Metas," Neuromancer introduced him to the others.

One was a large Samoan man with shaggy brown hair, goatee, and wearing street clothes.

"This is Tunnel. He has the power to manipulate earth and specializes in creating underground passageways," Neuromancer introduced Buzz to him.

"Digging tunnels? That's gonna help a lot," Buzz nodded.

"I'll show you I can do more when you see me on the job," Tunnel replied.

"This is Siren," Neuromancer pointed to a Chinese woman wearing a dark purple shirt under short-sleeve denim jacket, black leggings, and white boots. Her hair is mostly black but her front bangs are dyed green and purple. "She relies on high-frequency sound-based attacks, especially with her voice."

"Hi," Buzz waved to Siren, who just looked at him and turned around.

"Don't mind Siren, she never speaks unless she wants to. Next, we have Mimic," Neuromancer introduced Buzz to a tall blonde-haired woman garbed in all black. She seemed more approachable as she and Buzz got acquainted. "She's our combat expert, and her powers enable her to copy one's moves and applying that against one she's fighting."

"I can show you a demonstration later if you want," Mimic offered Buzz.

"Would I? Sure..." Buzz paused as he balked at the little girl wearing having her blood drawn. She was a redhead, wore a simple green dress and a green bow on her head. "Wait, you got a kid as a part of your team?"

"Yes, this is Playdate, but don't let her age fool you," Neuromancer stated. "She's a technical genius and by far our most intellectual member. Her power of technopathy enables her to modify and create weapons from something as simple and childish as a children's toy."

"She can make toy soldiers or something?" Buzz queried as he approached Playdate. "Um, good to be working with you...?"

The child prodigy frowned. "Who's the weirdo?"

Buzz cringed as he got verbally put down. "BZZZT! Wrong, kiddo! My name's Buzz! And don't you forget..."

"Yeah, whatever," Playdate walked by him and sat down the couch to pick up a demented looking doll.

"Little snot-nosed brat..." grumbled Buzz.

"And lastly, you already met Golem yesterday."

Buzz faced Golem and shrugged. "Who knows? Maybe you can speak more once we start working together."

Playdate had her eyes glued on Buzz, growing distrust in the newcomer. She pivoted to Neuromancer and pouted. "Boss, what's the blood for? I hate needles."

"Ok, everyone there's a reason why I had you call come here and have your blood drawn," Neuromancer addressed everyone present. He placed his colleagues' blood samples in tubes and set them inside a case. "Our newest collaborator, Buzz, is about to explain the purpose of having your blood drawn. But, starting soon, you'll be working with him."

"Why?" Tunnel asked.

"To start causing a scene across town. Maybe rob some banks here and there."

"But, us being out there will get the attention of those Soujas," Siren said. "The last thing we want is for us to get caught by those things."

"That's what the blood is for and why Buzz is here," Neuromancer stated. "Buzz, go ahead and tell them about that device."

 **(** _ **Meet the Joker**_ **resumes (1:30-2:48))**

Buzz nodded and showed a visual of what looked like a handheld console, which confused the others, except Playdate, who eyed it with suspicion.

"What I have here is a 'Souja Override Unit' that my employer procured for me. This device has the same type of scanner a real Souja unit has. It's used to trace and locate a Meta's signature. Now, this device has come in handy because it's cloaked my DNA signature from the Soujas by just analyzing a blood sample."

"Which, I'm guessing, is why you needed our blood," Mimic pointed out.

"Indeed, once I put those samples into this device, your blood will be analyzed and presto! Your DNA signatures will be cloaked from Souja scanners. You'll be free to roam about to create some havoc with me!"

Neuromancer's crew were stunned to say the least. At last, their biggest threats have been alleviated and they didn't even need to fight them to do it.

"We can get out and make some noise without those damn robots chasing our asses?" Tunnel became ecstatic to hear this. "Buzz, you're the man!"

"I've been called many things, but I'll take that."

Finally, Golem spoke up with a thick Russian accent. "Yes, now I've been meaning to smash some things up for quite sometime!"

"Wow, the big guy speaks. For him to speak, I must've done something right."

"Now the only thing we gotta worry about are the local police," Siren said.

Mimic smirked. "I'm sure we can handle the pigs."

"Ok, everyone, quiet down," Neuromancer called for order in his office. "Your assignment to simply put... just go out have fun and create some havoc. Rob banks. Cause as much collateral damage as you want. I don't care how you do it."

"Like the boss just said. My employer even encourages we cause enough havoc that it qualifies as the top news story of the local news!" Buzz rallied the Meta crew together. "Let's wreck some shit and send a message to all the idiots who look down us Metas! And let's send a message to any goody good heroes that we aren't to be messed with!"

"Um, who said you're leading us?" Playdate asked, making Buzz pause and look like the fool.

"I did. Since we're benefiting from his employer, I want to see if he's capable of leading the crime operations," Neuromancer said. "If you wish to protest, talk to me in private and we'll discuss matters. As a matter of fact..." He beckoned Buzz over, who approached him. "Remember, while I'm leaving you in charge of these organized crimes, this is still my team."

"Sure, as you say..." Buzz nervously said as Neuromancer gave him a serious glare. "...can't get too big for my britches, right?"

"Glad you're see it things my way."

"When do you want us to start?" Mimic asked.

"Tomorrow. I'll have supplies if you need any to pull off the heist."

"Don't think we'll need them," Buzz reassured him.

"Good. Now let the carnage ensue."

 **(End theme)**

xxxxx

 _ **Seattle, Washington/Capital Loans/May 1, 2010/5:30 PM**_

One day after the last meeting, Neuromancer's Metas stayed true to their word and made it clear they were going to create havoc. They started up their crime spree by robbing several pawn shops in town. The Metas initially split up into three groups of two. Buzz and Tunnel robbed one shop. Siren and Mimic raided another. Playdate and Golem attacked a third shop.

The police were on the move, but each time they tried to stop the Metas they were quickly brought down.

 **(Cue Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker OST –** _ **Industrial Heist**_ **(1:45-3:50))**

The group reconvened and raided a local Capital Loans. Buzz shattered windows with discharged electrical blasts. Playdate controlled a few toy soldiers, who had a cashier at gunpoint. When it became clear the toys fired with real ammo, the cashier frantically dumped the money into Playdate's bag.

Outside the shop, Golem's rock body made all bullets ricochet off him and a few bullets deflected to wound a few officers. Siren unleashed a loud scream that blew away police officers and made other cops cover their ears. When one cop tried to apprehend Mimic, she hit him with vicious body blows and knocked him out with a kick to the face.

Tunnel arrived outside and unearthed the ground, making a tunnel for them to escape.

"C'mon, let's go!" Tunnel called to his cohorts.

Neuromancer's crew quickly beelined into the tunnel to escape the police. Buzz was the last one to leave as he waved off to the severely beaten police force.

"Later, pigs! Do us a favor and stick to eating donuts!" He was heard laughing while making a clean getaway with his colleagues.

xxxxx

 _ **ACE Cash Express/May 2, 2010/11:30 AM**_

If that wasn't enough of a crime spree, the Metas attacked a few check cashing places. This included the Cash Express they robbed. They made short work of security guards and using Playdate's mechanized dolls stole money. They managed a successful robbery and by the time the police came they were gone.

xxxxx

 _ **Jewelry Store/May 3, 2010/4:25 PM**_

The Metas carried on their crime spree for the third consecutive day. This time they hit a jewelry store. However, the police were intercept them early on, but even with more manpower, the Metas made short work of them.

"These pigs don't know the meaning of quits," Buzz scoffed irritably, discharging an electrical blast at a police car.

 _ **Boom!**_

As the police car exploded and flipped over, the officers spread out. Golem, now transformed in his rock form, bumrushed through a slew of officers and beat down a few. Siren confronted some officers and sent them flying with a shout. Mimic took down two officers.

All the while, Playdate controlled a few toy soldiers and teddy bears to rob jewelry. Buzz blasted through glass cases and let Tunnel stuff more jewelry into a bag.

"Did you get enough of a haul?" Buzz asked his cohorts.

"We sure did!" Tunnel replied, throwing a bag full of jewelry over his shoulder.

"Toy soldiers, we're leaving now!" Playdate beckoned her toys to depart with their prize jewelry.

"Thank you all for your business and cooperation, folks!" Buzz called out to the store workers. "Be sure to tune in to see us on your local news at five!"

As they finished their robbery, the evil Meta stormed out of the store and left a bunch of wounded police officers behind. They hurried off and successfully took out more police officers. The Metas got into a black van. All but Golem and Playdate filled the back of the van. Golem changed back to normal and took the driver's seat. Playdate and her toys brought in bags full of the stolen jewelry with them.

"Hurry and floor it!" Buzz yelled out to Golem.

Golem quickly complied and drove off from the vicinity. The Metas once again left their mark and became the immediate centerpiece of Seattle's breaking news.

 **(End theme)**

xxxxx

 _ **Outskirts of Seattle/Ship Dock/Temporary Base/5:20 PM**_

It wasn't long when the news of the evil Metas' major crime spree was reported and broadcasted citywide. The West Coasters were amongst those that watched the latest Meta crime spree perpetrated by Neuromancer's group.

A female reporter spoke on the television, drawing the attention of the group, who remained glued to the reports. " _ **Many officers who tried to apprehend the Meta suspects during the last three days have been wounded, though we can confirm there have been no fatalities to report. There has been no further word on what the Seattle Police Department intend to do to further resist these criminals. There may be a possibility either the SWAT teams or army could be called in. Or perhaps, a stronger resistance may be called in to apprehend these vicious criminals before they cause further damage...**_ "

Replayed footage of Buzz, Golem, Mimic, Tunnel, and Siren's attack on police officers is shown again.

"Geez, those cops didn't stand a chance!" Nick cringed upon seeing wounded officers being treated and a few carried into ambulances.

"Of course not, Nickel," Penny added, punching a fist into her palm. "Boy, wouldn't I love to come after these jerkwads. I don't give a shit for authority, but this is going too far."

" _This is terrible. They can't get away with this!"_ Carmen voiced her discontent with the evil Meta actions.

Marty immediately noticed Buzz.

"Marty?" Andrea noticed his sudden disturbance.

"My suspicions have been confirmed," Marty replied, standing up and pushing his chair to the side. He gritted and glared intently at Buzz on screen. "That man who just fired those electrically-charged blasts is the same one that attacked me on that train in Tokyo! Buzz was his name... and frankly how can I forget a lame name like that."

"You're certain it's him?" Lance pivoted toward the screen as the report zoomed in on each of the Meta suspects.

"To think you and him are just within the same city limits," Andrea said. "If that guy is really the same one..."

"Believe me, I'd never forget such a creepy face like his," Marty stated. "And I have no doubt he's the one that attacked Scott a couple of nights ago."

"That's him!" Scott was heard from the other end of the room. He rushed into the room and had his eyes glued to the television. "He's the guy who attacked me!"

"And thanks for confirming my suspicions, Scott," Marty nodded. "By the way, where were you? We called for a meeting. Did you not get my message?"

"Sorry, I was out patrolling the area. Gotta make sure the secret base stays secret."

Marty glared at him. "That's nice of you to take the initiative, but I wish you would have let me know what you were doing."

"You've been gone an awfully long time for just some patrol duty," Penny snickered, lightly and playfully jabbing Scott's right arm, causing him to yelp just a bit and cringe. "Yo, that was just a play tap, Scotty. You starting to go wimp on me?"

"Sorry, just you caught me off guard," Scott said, rubbing his arm.

"A'right, whatever, Scotty."

"What did I miss besides seeing Buzz on the TV?"

Penny scoffed while sitting down. "Some Metas trying to get on our turf and causing trouble."

"Dude, they look awfully mean and scary," Nick gulped. "Well, at last the big rock guy, the electro dude, and the earthbender. The two chicks look hot, though, especially that Asian..." This comment earned him a light bop on the head from his sister. "What?!"

"They're with the bad guys, genius."

Carmen sighed, shaking her head. " _They've hurt too many people. We need to do something._ "

"Us fight them, Carmen?" Scott asked her. "No offense, but this isn't our business."

" _Why not?_ " She inquired and confronted him.

He was quickly put on the spot by Carmen's question. "I mean, I'm all for going after petty criminals vigilante-style, or whatever it is we're supposed to be doing, but going up against other Metas?"

"No, Carmen's right," Marty announced. "This is the reason the team exists, to stand up to the Meta-criminals and show the world that not all Metas are bad."

"That's right. Besides, the cops are hopelessly outclassed. We're the only ones with even a chance at stopping them," Andrea stated. "Anyway, what troubles me is why we haven't seen any Soujas involved. One had to at least appear by now to hunt this group."

"Um, I think something's about to be said about that," Lance addressed the West Coasters, turning their attention back on the TV screen.

The broadcast switched to Viktor Trask at a live conference. As if the evil Metas weren't enough, the West Coasters were none too thrilled to see Trask showing his face on the broadcast feed. As Trask is speaking, scenes of the crime sprees are shown again.

" _ **Do you not see the collateral damage these Metas have caused? If that Seattle battle a few evenings ago wasn't enough, this has gone too far. Even more property damage due to Metas' reckless natures!**_

" _ **The officers, who serve and protect our fine communities, have been left wounded. We should thank God that there haven't been any casualties! These Meta monsters have no redeeming qualities about them. They lash out and take their anger out on us! They wish to be treated with equality, but they resort to petty crimes to get our attention.**_

" _ **They've certainly gotten our attention, but we won't yield to whatever demands they make. The Meta terrorists will be brought to justice. Unfortunately police force and the army may not be enough to neutralize them. These Metas are shown to have extraordinary powers beyond natural human capabilities. But, rather than use their powers to help their fellow man, they use them to inflict pain and invoke fear like any would be terrorist.**_

" _ **This intolerance for authority and innocent civilian life will not go unpunished. In order to stop further Meta-related crimes, my team will be sending Souja drones into Seattle. While the initial Souja attack on Metas was met with bad press recently in San Francisco's university campus and in Seattle. We are working to calibrate our remaining Souja units to ensure they avoid causing collateral damage. But, ask yourselves this: would you rather these Meta scum continue to run amok causing reckless destruction, or the Soujas protect you from these terrorists?"**_

Marty muted television and turned to face the West Coasters.

"Don't let his propaganda get to you. Remember, we are not the enemy," Marty reminded them.

Penny scoffed. "I don't trust anything self-important jerks in suits say anyway."

"But, we can't let those bad guys ruin Meta reputations!" Andrea shouted, grabbing and shaking the television.

"Andrea, calm down!" Marty barked, grabbing her arm. "Look, we're all upset what's going down. I don't like what's happening any more than you."

"Do you have a plan how we can stop them?" asked Lance.

Marty pondered for a few minutes. He finally decided. "Tomorrow, I want you all to go out on patrol. I'll be coordinating you all from here."

The West Coasters nodded together and listened for further instructions from their leader.

"You'll split up. And once you find our bad Metas, don't engage until you're all together. There's no sense trying to handle a gang of Metas on your own."

"Got it. That's a good idea," Andrea agreed.

"We don't have much to do anyway, ever since the Soujas found our last Stronghold," Nick shrugged. "Right sis?"

"Yeah."

"Lance, I'd hold off on summoning Pharaohmon until necessary," Marty advised him. "Unlike these Metas, we don't want to draw attention to ourselves if we can help it."

"Understood," he said.

"We want to subdue these guys and so they can tell us who they're working for. You'll all go out first time tomorrow morning and we're going to patrol all day. Keep your guards up and eyes open. Meeting adjourned, get some rest everyone. You'll need it when we hunt. One more thing, don't use your powers until you confront Buzz and his crew." With that, Marty dismissed the West Coasters from the room.

" _I'm going out for some fresh air,"_ Carmen said, walking out first.

"I think I'll do that, too. Y'know, to clear the head and stuff?" Nick went out the same way Carmen did. "Wait up, Carmen!"

Rolling her eyes, Penny sighed. "My brother may be a lot of things, but subtle isn't one of them..." She quipped and headed out.

As Lance walked by, he and Scott accidentally bumped into each other. Scott seemed to be on edge when Lance apologized.

"Oh, hey, sorry didn't see where you were going, Lance."

"It's fine. Are you ok, Scott?"

"Sure, just a lot of running back and forth patrolling. Ever since I got jumped by that Buzz guy, I've been paranoid another one of those jerk Metas might attack me, or a Souja might be hiding... can't be too careful, Lance. Remember that."

"Yeah, thanks for the warning," Lance nodded as Scott walked out.

Once everyone left, Marty beckoned Andrea to stay behind with him. "Are you hungry?"

"Kinda, why?"

In response, Marty held up two sealed brown plastic bags with _'Meal, Ready-to-Eat'_ printed in large letters on them.

Andrea cringed a bit. "You're not sick of those yet?"

xxxxx

 **(Cue Guilty Crown OST –** _ **Home In This Corner**_ **)**

Marty and Andrea sat together at a table eating their MREs (Marty had spaghetti with meatballs; Andrea had chicken pesto pasta), crackers, peanut butter, and powdered drinks. It wasn't an ideal romantic dinner, but Marty had scrounged up some tea candles for ambiance.

"You know," Marty said, between mouthfuls, "these things aren't half bad."

"Try growing up on them. MREs were my father's idea of a 'packed school lunch'."

The couple ate in silence for a while.

"Say, Andrea..."

"Yeah?"

"Do you ever wish you could read my thoughts?"

A soft smile adorned Andrea's face. "Not really."

"Yeah?"

"I don't need my powers to read your mind. I know you too well after all the years we've known each other."

"That's saying something. Thanks, Andrea." sometimes I just wonder what the heck has been going on with Scott lately. He's been showing up late and forgets to respond to my messages."

"Well, he does have a habit of forgetting some things."

Marty maintained his suspicions. "Perhaps. That run-in with Buzz and then being chased by Souja units did dramatically affect him. He's been paranoid."

"Are you sure you don't want me to scan his mind?" Andrea asked as she spread some peanut butter on a cracker.

"No, let's respect our teammates' space. Scott should be ok again..." Marty added some bottled water to a pouch full of powder, then downed the flavored beverage. He looked across at Andrea and started to chuckle.

"What?"

"You got peanut butter on your nose."

"What? Oh, c'mon!" Andrea noticed the peanut butter and rubbed it off with her finger. "This is embarrassing!"

"I don't know... I thought your reaction was cute."

"Yeah, if you like your girlfriend covered in peanut butter..."

"Who says I don't?" He took Andrea's hand and slowly sucked the peanut butter off her finger. "Think you can handle patrol tomorrow?"

"Yeah, after all I did bring Lance to us. I won't let you down," she said, leaning forward and kissing him.

Marty smiled back to her and kissed her back. "I know you won't."

xxxxx

Carmen stood in solitude while facing the seaport. She took a deep breath and felt the salty wind scrubbing her face. She then noticed footsteps and barely turned her head.

" _Nick, I know you're there,"_ she typed into her synthesizer.

The half-Polynesian male walked forward and waved. "How'd you know it was me?"

Carmen gestured to his feet. _"Flip-flops aren't the most stealthy choice of footwear, and yours make a fairly distinctive pattern to me."_

"Oh, yeah? What's it look like?"

The deaf Latina paused, trying to find the right words. _"Like a pair of deep blue ocean waves, crashing one right after the other."_

"That's… kind of cool, actually."

" _Did you want something?"_

Nick modestly chuckled and scratched his head. "Well, um, I just thought ya could use some company. But, if you like being alone I'll leave ya be." He turned around about to leave her.

Carmen gave a small smile. _"It's ok. You can stay."_

As Nick leaned over the edge of the ship, he lowered his hands and waved them around to manipulate some water from the sea. He collected enough to form a sphere. He shaped the sphere into a pyramid. Carmen watched him changing the bundle of water into different shapes. He manipulated the water and made it flow like a waterfall.

"What'cha think, Carmen?" Nick grinned like a goof and did his best to impress Carmen.

If Carmen hadn't already seen him waterbend, she would've been in awe. But, judging by her apathetic look, she's already seen him create various shapes and objects with water.

" _Uh, Nick, that's nice, but you don't need to be flashy to impress me."_

"What? Ok, how about I make fishies pop out of the water..."

" _Been there and done that, Nick,_ " she sighed.

"Oh, what do I have to do to impress you?"

" _Just sit still and stay with me? For you, that'd be real impressive."_

"That's all?"

Carmen nodded.

With that, Nick called off his water show and turned only to slip off the back of the boat as he fell into the water.

 _ **Sploosh!**_

" _Nick!"_ She cried out in fear of her friend. She looked down and sighted Nick riding on a wave across the sea.

"WHOO-HOO! Is this enough to impress ya, Carmen?!"

The Latina girl sweatdropped, watching Nick riding on his wave. She lowered her head and sighed. _Oh, Nick, you goof,_ she thought to herself.

xxxxx

Scott was alone sitting on a box. His mind was jumbled with thoughts. He quickly cleared his head and stared out at the sea. He became startled as Penny waved her hand over his face.

"Yo, you awake, Scotty?"

"Whoa!" Scott got startled and shook his head. "Man, don't scare me like that!"

"Sheesh, you've been uptight lately, Scotty. Are you sure you've been getting sleep?"

"Maybe... ok, not really."

"You want to talk about it?"

Scott lowered his eyes and scoffed. "What's there to talk about? I'd just bore you."

"I got all the time in the world. And I'm hardly bored with you. What's on your mind?" Penny pulled up a chair and sat down next to him.

"Can't convince you to leave me alone, can I? All right, yeah I haven't been getting sleep. Guess I'm still rattled after being jumped by that electric creep."

"Did he hurt you that badly?"

"Not really. Though, he did make a tree explode behind me and I nearly got caught by the explosion," Scott explained. "And then next thing I know those Souja found me."

"Must've been a scary situation to deal with all that shit. I'd totally freak out if I were in your shoes, Scotty," Penny said. "I don't know what I'd do if anything happened to my brother and I wasn't around... if I was caught by those robots."

"Be glad you aren't, Penny."

"Damn right, I'm glad me and Nickel are with a crew like this."

Hearing this, Scott felt better and seemingly gotten over his funk. He smiled and got up, stretching his arms over his head. "Thanks for the talk, Penny. I needed it."

"Sure thing, Scotty. Just don't start getting all wimp on me. That jab shouldn't have hurt a tough guy like you."

"Sorry, you just startled me is all, plus you hit me where Buzz attacked me."

"Oh, let me see..."

"Nah, I'm beat and need to get some sleep. I've been patrolling around town for hours."

"Did you notice anything?"

"Nothing unusual," he shrugged as he waved her off. "We'll probably have better luck finding Buzz's gang tomorrow."

"Oh yeah, you bet I'm ready for them!" Penny said with confidence. "Night, Scotty."

As Scott went to catch sleep, Penny noticed her brother trying to impress Carmen with a waterbending show. She rolled her eyes and walked away as her brother hollered loudly.

xxxxx

Lance crossed his arms and stood outside the deck. All he could think about was tomorrow's mission. At first glance, he seemed to be alone, but that couldn't be further from the truth.

Pharaohmon's spirit materialized on Lance's left shoulder. _**"Are you ready for tomorrow, Lance?"**_

"Yeah, but remember what Marty said. I gotta hold off from summoning you until we get into a tussle with these bad Metas."

" _ **I'll keep that in mind."**_

"Also remember we're fighting people, Pharaohmon. We have to be careful how we subdue these criminals. We can afford to go all out on Souja because they're just machines. Handling Digimon is not an issue for us either. But, these Metas, despite their super powers, are still people. Could we bring ourselves to kill them if they cross the line any further?"

Pharaohmon mulled. _**"My evil half would've killed them without empathy, but that's not who I am anymore. I'll only take extreme measures if you want it so."**_

"I see..." Lance muttered, considering his options on how he and Pharaohmon should handle the evil Metas. "Still, I have to wonder who these guys are working for. Their actions from what we've seen from the news seem to be organized and coordinated."

" _ **Perhaps another Meta giving them orders behind the scenes?"**_

Nodding, Lance deduced. "Someone like Marty, but a criminal... guess we'll find out what we're dealing with tomorrow. Pharaohmon, let's watch each other's backs."

" _ **As you say, Lance."**_

"Good to know. Now let's get rest. We probably got a long day tomorrow."

 **(End theme)**

xxxxx

 _ **Seattle/Downtown/May 4, 2010/7:30 PM**_

 **(Cue Young Justice OST –** _ **Covert Ops**_ **)**

The next day, the West Coasters scoured through downtown in search of Buzz's group and stayed up to date with any news coverage that could reveal their crime location. Andrea covered the northwest area. Carmen and Nick searched around the southeast area. Penny and Scott scoured the southwest area. Lance searched the northeast area.

Marty was still able to communicate with them through text in their cell phones. He coordinated them into certain locations and to the places where the crime sprees occurred.

Through the rest of the morning and afternoon, there have been no signs of Buzz's group.

That was set to change by the early evening hours. Lance just happened to stumble onto a crime scene at an electronics store. He spotted the Metas breaking into the place, he quickly alarmed the other West Coasters.

"Lucky me, look who I found!" Lance called into his cell. "Marty, get everyone here quick!" As he closed the cell, he remained hidden in an alley and waited for his colleagues to appear. "You ready to teach these guys a lesson, Pharaohmon?"

Pharaohmon's spirit rematerialized by his side and growled. _**"You definitely read my mind, Lance. Let's apprehend these thieves!"**_

In less than ten minutes, the other West Coasters reconvened with Lance.

"Looks like the police haven't arrived yet," Andrea whispered to Lance.

"We might as well hurry and take them down before the cops get here," Penny stated.

"Let's show these dudes what we're made of!" Nick yelled, opening his bottle and manipulated his water into a whip.

 **(End theme)**

Meanwhile, Buzz and his gang collected enough money and electronics to make another clean getaway.

"All right, let's hit the road. The pigs haven't bothered to show up, but let's not take any chances!" Buzz dusted his hands.

Suddenly, a nickel shot across and narrowly missed Buzz on purpose, but it tore through the side of the van. This startled Buzz and his group as they turned around to meet the West Coasters.

"Stop right there!" Andrea shouted and pointed to them. "Your crime spree stops here!"

"Y'all better make like a tree and leave, dudes!" Nick threatened them, readying his water whip, which was imbued with green light.

"Not the time to make movie references, bro," Penny muttered. "Especially when threatening the bad guys!"

Humored by Nick's retort, Buzz and his group chuckled amongst themselves.

"What do we have here?" Tunnel scanned each West Coasters. "A bunch of kids wanna rumble with us?"

"That guy who made an obvious _Back to the Future_ reference seems to be a water manipulator," Mimic noticed Nick's water whip. "And whoever shot that coin fired with near perfect accuracy."

"That was a warning shot," Penny said, tossing up some coins in her hand.

"They're Metas just like us, but they're definitely not here to help us, no?" Golem asked Buzz.

"Obviously not," Buzz chuckled as he profiled each West Coaster. His eyes fell on Scott last as he reflected on their last scuffle. "Well, look who decided to show up! You looking for a rematch with me, punk?!"

"You got that right, Bum," Scott retorted, purposefully getting his name wrong.

Playdate snickered, much to Buzz's irritation. "He called you Bum. That's a good one."

"BZZT! It's _Buzz_ not _Bum_!" The electric-powered Meta quipped, charging electrical power in his hands. "Let's get one thing straight, when guys pick a fight with me again, they remember my name! But, since you're all here looking for a fight, why don't I give y'all a chance to join us?"

"Fat chance. We go by our own rules!" Andrea said, producing a green aura. She quickly split herself up creating five doppelgangers. "Plus, robbing places just isn't our thing."

Penny mumbled. "Although quite tempting..."

Carmen utilized her computer device to produce a tune to summon a glowing red katana.

Pulling out his Digivice, Lance summoned Pharaohmon to fight.

"Let's take them down, Pharaohmon!" He yelled out, using his Digivice to make Pharaohmon's spirit grow and solidify into his physical golden pharaoh form.

Buzz and his group were immediately taken aback by Pharaohmon's presence. Buzz sighted Lance holding a Digivice.

"Whoa, now there's a surprise. That guys must be one of those Digimon Tamers from Japan," Buzz deduced. "What's he doing hanging with a group of Metas?"

"Who cares? We take him and his giant friend down, right?" Siren inquired Buzz.

"But, of course! We ain't letting these punks spoil our fun!" Buzz readily fired his electric blasts toward the West Coasters. "Not when we have many places to run roughshod over!"

The West Coasts dodged Buzz's attack as the blast impacted and exploded leaving a big hole in the ground.

"West Coasters, intercept the enemy!" Andrea called out, taking charge in Marty's absence.

 **(Cue Batman Beyond OST –** _ **Cold vs Hot**_ **)**

The West Coasters went head to head with Buzz's crew; each team member split up fighting individually. Lance and Pharaohmon went straight for Buzz. Nick crossed paths with Tunnel. Siren engaged Scott. Carmen went up against Mimic. Playdate chose Andrea to be her new 'playmate'. Golem and Penny engaged.

Buzz discharged a slew of electric blasts, some small and other big. Lance, being the only normal, could only evade so many, but Pharaohmon provided as Lance's shield.

"Thanks, Pharaohmon!" Lance yelled out. He noticed Pharaohmon's armor seemed damage after tanking Buzz's blasts. "Whoa, his blasts were enough to damage you?"

"Hmm, seems your pharaoh buddy got some chinks in his armor," Buzz honed in on Pharaohmon's damaged armor. He charged up even more electric power and amassed an electrical ball. "Let's see how he handles one fully charged!" He tossed the massive electric ball.

Pharaohmon turned around and caught the electric sphere with one hand. However, Buzz discharged more power to make the ball bigger. Electrical surges erupted from the sphere and bombarded Pharaohmon's armored body. The pharaoh Digimon clenched his right hand, forming his _**Pharaoh Fist**_ , and punched the electrical ball into the air.

Buzz gaped at Pharaohmon's physical power. "Whoa..." However, he didn't stop there and discharged an electrical wave that impacted Pharaohmon head-on. "Let's see how ya like repeated blasts!"

"Pharaohmon!" Lance yelled out as he attempted to Biomerge with his partner. But, an electrical blast surged from Buzz's attacks and knocked him back.

"Lance...!" Pharaohmon turned, but another large electrical sphere collided with his back. He threw himself on top of Lance and regressed back to his spirit form. " _ **...my body's not yet strong enough to handle such level of power. I'm nowhere near the peak I used to be. What concerns me is your life, my friend.**_ " He hovered over Lance.

Buzz grunted and wiped his forehead. "Man, what was a rush. Nice try, man, but you and that pharaoh shouldn't mess with Buzz."

xxxxx

Scott found out the hard way Siren's sound-based screams weren't to be underestimated. As he relocated using his wormhole tunnels, Siren would be one step ahead of him. When he reappeared behind her, Siren turned around and fired a concentrated-based sound bullet at his tunnel. Finding out his tunnel can't redirect pure sound, this gave Siren an opening to send Scott flying with a sound-based yell.

As Scott took the blast and hit the ground, Siren walked up to him with a cool and collective smile.

"There's many things I'd like to do to you, but playing with boys isn't my thing. So, I'll just kill you off."

xxxxx

Nick used his water whips to try breaking Tunnel's earth constructs, which he summoned from under the concrete. However, Tunnel's earth walls were solid enough to absorb Nick's water-based attacks.

"Aw, man, no fair!" Nick shouted. He recalled his water whip and compressed it into a water ball. "How about this?!" He pointed to a nearby fire hydrant and made it explode, amassing more water. Waving his hands around, he created a huge water burst that slammed into Tunnel's earth wall.

Tunnel solidified his earth wall to take Nick's stronger water attack.

"Ain't gonna let a kid like you best me!" Tunnel declared, unearthing ground under Nick's feet and sending him flying up into the air.

"Aw crap!" Nick yelled out, frantically flapping his arms to summon enough water to cushion his fall. Enough water built up to become a floatation and catch him. He slid down, leaving his guard down and getting sucker punched by Tunnel.

Tunnel stood over the fallen Nick and grinned.

xxxxx

Carmen wildly slashed at Mimic with her katana. After each swing she made, none hit Mimic. Mimic was able to counter using a collapsible baton. They crossed weapons for a short time until Mimic kicked the katana out of her hand. With the katana removed, the weapon hit the ground and burst into sparks. Carmen decided to rely on hand-to-hand fisticuffs, which she learned from Andrea.

"C'mon, child. Let's see you try landing a blow on me!" Mimic goaded Carmen to attack her.

Carmen bumrushed Mimic and went for a low jab. Mimic struck her in the gut with the baton, dropping her.

As Carmen got up and went for a straight jab, Mimic is able to counter and duplicate Carmen's attack, landing a low jab into Carmen's side. Carmen grunted from the low blow and retaliated with a flurry of punches. Mimic's photographic reflex skills quickly came into play as she effectively and quickly parried Carmen's blows. Carmen went for straight punch, but Mimic sidestepped and spun around Carmen. Mimic turned and landed a straight punch to Carmen's face. She then unleashed a flurry of punches and kicks Carmen tried to use, but Carmen found herself being hit with said blows.

Mimic grabbed Carmen's right arm and executed a judo throw, slamming Carmen into the pavement. She then twisted Carmen's right arm, smiling cruelly.

"Did you really think you could best me at hand-to-hand, little girl?" Mimic pressed her foot down on Carmen's chest. "You might've been a good opponent before I gained the power of mimicking my opponent's moves. But, now I am your superior. And soon you're going to have one less arm to fight with." She exhibited cruel tendencies and started twisting Carmen's arm the other way.

xxxxx

Penny used every coin she could use on Golem. However, Golem's stone skin made for an effective defense against her coins.

Penny cursed under her breath. "Shit, none of my coins are doing anything!"

Golem chuckled. "Just give up. My stone skin protects me from your silly coins."

"Ok, plan B..." Penny pulled out and readied her silver dollar.

"That's if I let you, woman!" Golem yelled out, rushing toward Penny. He went to punch her head off, but Penny ducked and Golem's fist ended up punching through the van. "Augh! Damn, look what you made me do to my van!"

"Hey, you're the one who punched your own van, dumbass!" Penny yelled, preparing to fire her silver dollar.

Golem smashed his fists to the ground and caused it to shake, which knocked Penny off. She fell flat on her back and reached over to grab her silver dollar. Golem stepped over to Penny and raised his foot over her head.

"This is for my van. You pay with your life!"

Penny rolled away just in time, but Golem kicked her so hard she hit a mailbox. Penny slouched and cringed from her back hitting the mailbox. Golem stalked toward Penny, who was at his mercy.

xxxxx

Andrea sent her doppelgangers to attack Playdate and her dolls. However, Playdate's dolls were controlled, by Playdate's technopathy, to fight many opponents all at once.

"Let's play tag! Tag, you're it!" Playdate shouted as her dolls went through Andrea's clones. She took out a control and pushed a button, which unleashed a swarm of toys out of the van. "Get them!" Like a general watching the battle from afar, she noticed her dolls and toys aren't doing damage to the clones. "Ah, those annoying clones aren't real! That makes things easier for my dolls to find the real you!" She beckoned her toy soldiers. "Ignore the clones and direct your attack on the real one!"

The toys shifted away from the clones and beelined for the real Andrea.

The military brat was taken aback. "You've gotta be kidding!"

"I've got you exposed! Now get her, my pretty dolls!" Playdate commanded, watching as her dolls ganged up on Andrea. The clones faded away as Andrea got taken down.

Andrea tried her psychic blasts to knock the dolls away. One doll managed to jump Andrea from behind and nail her with a mallet to her back. Andrea was now seeing stars as she lay on the ground face down with Playdate standing over her.

"Yay, we won, my dollies!" Playdate jumped up and down, hollering and cheering like the giddy child she was. She then pulled out a small box and tore off the back of Andrea's shirt. "I'm not just a kid! I'm a genius! Stupid grown-ups and their conceited views! Now how about holding still and let me put this on your back? See, killing you would be too easy. So, why don't I just convert you into a doll? You'll make the perfect doll for my collection! And with your psychic powers for me to control, the better!"

Andrea clenched her fists and tried calling on her psychic power to knock Playdate away. The other dolls zapped Andrea with small tasers to neutralize her.

Just then, a Souja unit arrived in the vicinity close to the Meta rumble and started running the perimeters for the Meta beacons it picked up on.

Buzz was the first to notice the Souja and called Neuromancer's crew off. "Hey, party's over. One of our big metal friends just showed up. Let's let him clean up our mess here."

"You heard him, everyone! To the van!" Golem shouted.

Upon hearing Golem, Mimic spared Carmen's arm and let her go. Siren left Scott on the ground. Tunnel complied and headed for the van.

"Awww! No fair! I was gonna make this stupid woman my doll!" Playdate pouted, which prompted Golem to pick her up. "Hey!"

"We did enough here, Playdate," Golem said.

"Yeah, maybe next time if these punks can escape our Souja buddy," Buzz said, noticing the Souja advancing toward the area. "Uh oh, you losers better hurry up and go before y'all get caught! See y'all on the news!" He waved to the West Coasters, who were nursing their wounds.

" _Guys, he's right! It's coming toward you!_ " Marty's voice was heard from Andrea's cell. " _Can any of you get up?_ "

"We can," Penny said, getting up and rubbing her sore back.

Carmen slightly favored her arm that Mimic nearly broke. " _I'm ready to get moving._ "

Lance helped Andrea up. Penny picked up Scott. Carmen pulled Nick up.

Marty's voice called out from Andrea's cell again. " _I suggest you all split up and rendezvous at our temporary headquarters. Hurry!_ "

"You heard him! Let's split up!" Andrea commanded, running down an alleyway.

One by one, the West Coasters were forced to retreat following their humiliating defeat. They retreated along separate paths to their temporary base.

 **(End theme)**

xxxxx

 _ **Outskirts of Seattle/Ship Dock/Temporary Base/9:30 PM**_

 **(Cue Kill la Kill OST –** _ **I Want to Know**_ **(Vocal Off))**

Marty waited in the break room for the others to arrive. The first one to arrive was Andrea. Nick was third. Lance came fourth followed by Carmen and Penny.

"Looks like we're all here," Lance noted.

"Except, Scotty. Where is he?" Penny grew worried for him.

Marty muttered. "We'll hold off on planning our next move until he gets here."

"Marty, dude, I hope you're not suggesting we get into a scuffle with those bad guys again!" Nick cried out. "They kicked our butts out there!"

Carmen nodded, rubbing her arm. " _Yes, they had powers that countered ours._ "

"It's like they're more experienced than we are," Penny said, reflecting on her fight with Golem. "Not to mention my coins didn't do jackshit to that rock guy's body."

"We all went in blind, guys. None of us expected those Metas to be stronger than we thought they were going to be," Andrea said. "Hate to say it, but thank goodness that Souja came, who knows what could've happened to us. We could've been killed, or in my case..." She shuddered, rubbing her arms at the thought of turning into a doll slave. "I could've become that brat's mindless puppet."

"The most important thing is that you're all here and not captured," Marty rubbed his temples. "Oh boy, you guys had a rough out there."

"So, what's the next plan of action, Marty?" Lance asked.

"I'd rather Scott be here first before I say anything further..."

"God, where the hell are you, Scott?" muttered Penny, who turned to the door waiting for Scott to show up any moment.

xxxxx

 _ **11:45 PM**_

The wait was more than two hours long. And who happened to show up late again was Scott. Nearly everyone had turned in for the night, but Marty, Andrea, and Penny were still awake.

"Sorry, guys..." Scott apologized. "I had taken the longer route and there it was starting to pour out there." He noticed the only three in the room giving him glances.

"Scotty, you're back," Penny was relieved to see him.

"Penny, you've been waiting for me?"

However, Marty gave him a look of suspicion. "That's the third time you've been late."

"Look, did you not hear I took a longer route and it was starting to rain."

"You haven't responded when I tried calling you, Scott."

"Yes, because I'm within areas with poor signals where I go patrolling."

"Even though I never gave you that mission," Marty confronted him. "You've been going off on your own."

Scott frowned and slightly backed off. "At least I'm doing something! Somebody should be going out and patrolling." He didn't hesitate to get right in Marty's face. "And we both know out of all of us, my powers allow me to get away the fastest and easiest!"

"Marty, Scott, c'mon now you two!" Andrea pleaded, getting in between them.

"Scotty, knock it off, man!" Penny pulled Scott away from Marty.

"You don't have to get pushy with me, Marty. I know you mean well, but as you can see I came back safe!"

Marty was taken aback with Scott's tone. "We just don't want you to get captured by the Souja is all! We have every reason to worry about our teammate! Scott...!" As he tried to make peace with him, Scotty prepared to storm out of the room.

"Wait, Scott, we're not done!"

"Well, I am! I don't need this after all the crap I've been through with that freak and getting chased like a dog by machines!"

"Scott..." Andrea muttered as she tried to weather the heated tension.

"Sorry, Andrea, Penny..." Scott apologized as he bolted out of the room.

"Scotty, wait!" Penny called out and went after him.

 **(End theme)**

Andrea went up to Marty and noted the stress on his face. He sat down palming his head.

"Things are falling apart, aren't they?"

"That's not true, Marty. We're still a team, but we can't expect all our teammates to fall in line and agree with us. Shouldn't we encourage different views?"

"Sure, but..." Marty then realized something. "Wait, he said he gets poor reception where he's at, but why can't he just use his power to relocate somewhere with better reception to respond to my messages?"

"That's what we heard him say. Why?"

"I'd like to know what he's really been doing besides patrolling as he claims."

xxxxx

 **A/N:** There we have it. Sorry for that long delay once again, but Lazer wanted to make this chapter just right. Carmen's origins started off very tragically and goes into depth on her road to recovery.

For those who weren't familiar with Chromesthesia, you've probably learned something new. Didn't think such a thing existed? Heh, now you now know.

Big reveals of the chapter: Jessica Nightwind, Carmen's new friend. I'd keep my eye out on this character. You haven't seen the last of her as she plays a key role in _Valkyrie Advent_. You'll just have to find out what it is, or if you're eager to preview samplings of her in small doses, hop on over to Ford1114's _Guilty Crown: The Lost Kingdoms_ AU fic and his ongoing _Shinnen_ fic that I'm co-authoring with.

The other big reveal: the villains. Say hi to the West Coasters' _rogue gallery_ (...or as Captain Cold would say 'Rogues, cute). As shown, they have a better grasp of their powers and took the West Coasters to school. We'll see how the rebound next time.

Thoughts on the budding friendships and relationships? Marty and Andrea have had an obvious relationship, but Nick's trying to impress Carmen and Penny shows a friendlier side around Scott (and being the only one who calls him 'Scotty'). Lance and Pharaohmon's partnership is developing well.

To be honest, this chapter was the toughest to write and took a lot of time to beta. The next three chapters should hopefully be smooth sailing since the remaining origins shouldn't be as complex as Carmen's.

RE: Voice actors for our West Coasters and Buzz's crew. We haven't finished with a full voice cast list yet, but here's what we have so far as of this posting:

Lance: Ben Diskin

Good!Pharaohmon: Patrick Seitz

Andrea/Psyclone: Michelle Ruff

Nick/Surgebinder: TJ Miller

Carmen/Songblade: "Siri"

Scott/Bridge: Will Friedle

Neuromancer: Christopher Sabat

The others will be decided by us in one of the forthcoming chapters.

Now here's my colleague, LazerWulf's commentary:

LazerWulf: Carmen's last name is indeed a reference to Carmen Sandiego, though her first name, belying her musical powers, is actually a reference to the famous opera _Carmen_ , by Georges Bizet. (For a brief moment, before we had settled on a last name, she was going to be the West Coaster from San Diego.)

Songblade's powers stem from numerous sources, but the base power of synesthesia came from Emma Coolidge from the TV show _Heroes_. From there, we added a bit of Green Lantern (creating objects from light, or, in Carmen's case, soundlight), Tenten from _Naruto_ (weapon proficiency), Orion from _Chuck_ (forearm-mounted computer), and a few other things we thought would be really cool to use with synesthesia, like making her a DJ or having her perceive speech as literal words (giving new meaning to the term 'Lip Reading').

Carmen's birthday being the same day as the Rajita invasion was a relatively late addition, and hopefully it makes that first scene a bit more poignant.

Neuromancer's name is an homage to the novel by William Gibson, while the rest of his Metas were a relatively late addition, created to be foils for the West Coasters, except for Buzz, who is an integral part of Marty's origin, conceived from the very beginning of the story.

Kanius: Hope my beta provided more insight on Carmen's name and her powers. Also a small tidbit on Neuromancer.

Until the next chapter, send a review and stay cool.


	4. Nick - Surgebinder

**A/N:** Yeah, sorry for yet another long wait. My beta had a busy month. Hope the wait is worth it.

Now we cover Nick/Surgebinder. Although we've seen him in Penny's chapter, this will be his origins POV. Moreover, another showdown between the West Coasters and Neuromancer's crew.

Anyway, onto the chapter!

xxxxx

 _ **San Diego, California/Union High School/December 10, 2003/7:50 AM**_

Two weeks after the Rajita ship crash and near death experience, Nicholas 'Nick' Banks and his sister, Penny, returned to school to try readjust to school life. He tried to tell him himself all would be cool and he can make it in time for the Varsity Swim Team tryouts.

Nick, dressed in a white shirt and black swimming shorts, glanced over the school pool. He closed and opened his eyes repeatedly as if trying to shaking something bothering him. Joining him was a Chinese teenage male named Lee, as the tryouts narrowed down to these two.

"Now you'll see why they call me 'Lee the Eel'," Lee said with a cocky grin.

"Because it's your name spelled backwards, you moron," Nick muttered under his breath.

As the coach whistled for the boys to start, Nick crouched on the starting platform and looked out onto the pool water. Suddenly, Nick's vision started to swim as he flashed back to the Rajita ship flying overhead and crashing into the bay, creating a wave that wiped him out and nearly drowned him, had his sister not intervened.

The next thing Nick knew, he was lying next to the pool with the coach waving smelling salts under his nose.

"Wha...what? What happened?" Nick blinked, his nose twitching from the smelling salts. "Coach...?"

"Nick, you just suddenly passed out," the coach answered him, putting away the smelling salts. "Glad you're ok."

"Did I even swim?"

"I'm afraid not. You blacked out before even diving in."

Upon hearing this, Nick shook his head and became ashamed.

Lee snickered, mocking Nick mercilessly. "More like he chickened out! He couldn't take the pressure. Right, Nicky boy?!" He laughed at the half-Polynesian teen. "Man, did you really think you had a chance to make the Varsity team?! No one wants a loser to join the team!"

"Lee, hit the showers," the coach instructed him. "You, too, Nick, but take your time if you need to. I'll write a pass for you if you're late for the next class."

"Thanks, coach," Nick nodded, trying hard to ignore Lee's slandering words.

Nick wondered why he couldn't remember anything. All he remembered was his mind flashing back to the Rajita ship crash incident from two weeks ago, and then the next thing he knew he was revived by the smelling salts.

"I blacked out? But, why?" Nick wondered as he looked at the pool. "That accident happened not too long ago." He took another glance at the pool water and was reminded of him drowning before his sister saved his life. He assumed the water might've had something to do with him blanking out.

He had developed a strong case of hydrophobia. Little did he know, just like his sister, the accident granted him an special ability that has yet to be realized.

xxxxx

Chapter 4

 _ **Nick – Surgebinder**_

xxxxx

 _ **Banks Residence/Nick's Room/6:30 PM**_

It was a rough day for Nick. If blacking out during swim tryouts wasn't enough, he was hassled throughout the morning by Lee. Then, something mind-boggling happened during third period World History class. This is the one period Nick, his sister Penny, and Lee shared a class together.

What happened surprised Nick. During the middle of class, Lee somehow fell unconscious. Students were shocked. Nick only briefly saw Lee falling face-first as if something hit him in the back of the head. This somehow managed to knock him out badly enough to be taken to the nurse, and reportedly to the hospital for examinations.

"Man, what a day," Nick muttered. "First I blank out, then I don't make the cut, and then Lee gets sent to the hospital. What's next?"

Suddenly, there came a knock on the door. The door opened slightly as a middle-aged Caucasian man poked his head out. It was Nick's father, Lt. Col. Marcus Banks, who had a composed look on his face.

"Nick, are you ok?"

"Dad? Well, I could be better."

"I just got a call from the swim coach. He said that Lee's going to be fine. He just got discharged from the hospital today, but since he got a concussion he's not going to be able to swim for a while."

Nick turned around in his chair and faced his father. Deep down, while he was glad karma came back to get Lee, he never wanted to Lee to get concussed.

"So, what? He can't compete on the Varsity Swim team?"

"Yes, and the coach said the spot is yours if you'd like to take it."

Taking a minute to think this over, Nick ultimately declined. "I'll take a pass."

"But, why?"

"Dad, I have to tell you something happened to me today."

"Ok, what happened?" Mr. Banks closed the door behind him, giving him and Nick some privacy for a man to man talk. "Something happened at school?"

"More like this morning at the swim tryouts. I..." Nick was hesitant to discuss about his blackout episode. However, he mustered up enough courage to tell him. "I didn't tell Penny this, but this morning I blacked out during the tryout."

"You blacked out?"

"Yeah, and it's not the first time, it's been happening a while. That night the aliens attacked, well..."

Mr. Banks sat down on Nick's bed and listened to Nick recap the crash of the Rajita ship into the bay, and his near-death experience. Hearing this troubled Mr. Banks, realizing that it only took one incident to effect Nick's daily life.

"Ever since then, it's like I can't even go near water, dad. I've tried going surfing and I'd black out just staring at the water. I can't even take baths. About the only time I can get in water is if I'm showering, but even then, it's like I'm on autopilot, and I can't recall the actual shower afterwards. And this morning, well I just told you..."

Mr. Banks looked deeply concerned and added. "Why haven't you told us before?"

"Dad, can we keep this between you and me? Don't tell mom, 'cause you know how much she worries. And don't let Penny know I told you. Please, dad?"

Nodding, Mr. Banks complied with his son's wish. "All right, Nick. We'll keep this between us, and I'll let you drop out of the swim team." He smiled and patted Nick's left shoulder.

"Thanks, dad..."

"But, in the meantime, since you're not going to be swimming or surfing, you should try something else to occupy your free time. Maybe something to help overcome this hydrophobia you have."

"Hmm, that might be an idea," Nick considered. He then pondered to himself. He's always been a peace-minded guy, and remembered he always wanted to try out _tai chi_. "I think I might've found something for me."

xxxxx

 _ **San Diego, California/Beach Cove/June 18, 2005/8:30 AM**_

A year and half has passed since Nick opted to transition into a brand new recreational activity. He had since stopped surfing and declined to give the swim tryout another chance. After taking up _tai chi_ , Nick found a new calling in his life.

 **(Cue Avatar: The Last Airbender OST –** _ **Kyoshi**_ **(0:00-0:57))**

 _tai chi_ has proven to be the gentlest but also the most effective stress reliever. This is especially the case for Nick, who has been fighting to overcome his hydrophobia. As anyone would experience when taking up an exercise routine, Nick had plenty to learn, but he was able to catch on very quickly.

Unlike the physical training he's had to take on, Nick found that _tai chi_ promoted serenity through gentle, flowing movements. This was the most compatible form of exercise for a zen-surfer like Nick.

Utilizing _tai chi_ , it helped relax his body, but one obstacle remained. His hydrophobia hadn't completely gone away. To fix this, Nick went out to the same location where the Rajita ship crash changed his life. He had been doing this nearly every weekend in hopes he'd finally overcome his fear.

It was time for his morning exercise.

Nick looked out toward the bay from a cliff. He closed his eyes and slowly turned his whole body. He also slowly pushed his right hand out and split his legs apart. All the while, he breathed in a calm and relaxing manner.

He raised both arms slowly near his face and gently lifted his right leg up. He slowly planted his foot down and turned his whole body, making sure not to apply impact on his joints with every gentle movement.

After finishing his first _tai chi_ exercises, Nick relaxed.

 **(End theme)**

However, his peaceful solitude would end when a certain school bully showed up.

"Oh, lookie who we have here! It's Nicky boy the chickenshit!" The sound of Lee hassled Nick, who turned around facing him. "Yeah, that's right. Eyes on me, Nicky boy."

"Dude, I so wish you'd stop calling me that. Doesn't it get old to you?"

"Nah, because you still can't get near water, huh? That's why you've always backed out of joining the swim team. You don't wanna black out the way you did! Or, y'know what? You probably did yourself a favor. You don't want the whole school to laugh at you if you peed in the pool, right?"

Nick let out an annoyed sigh. "Look, man. Why don't you just go? I'm over that."

"Bullshit, then why aren't you out there taking a swim? You're still scared to get in the water!"

"Why do you think I've taken up _tai chi_? Oh, never mind, dude. I doubt you'd get it."

"I don't give a flying frick what kind of exercise you're doing. You're avoiding your fear!"

"No, I'm not! Then, why would I be here?! I'm exercising right near water now, am I?! Or, are you blind?!"

"Then, why don't you show me if _tai chi_ 's worked out for you? Go on, get in the water!" Lee pointed to the bay.

"No, I don't have to. Not now."

"Figures you wouldn't do it. You'll always be Nicky boy the chickenshit!" He taunted him, flapping his arms like a chicken. Little did he know, he was near the cliff ledge.

"Hey, dude! You need to get away from there! Behind you!"

"Don't try changing the subject, Nicky! I bet that sister of yours has bigger balls than you!"

"LEE! LOOK OUT!"

Suddenly, a piece of the ledge gave out under the weight of Lee's left foot. Lee ended up falling over the edge of the cliff.

"NO!" Nick hollered as he rushed over the cliff and slid across. He looked down to see Lee falling and he reached for Lee.

As soon as he did, Nick caught sight of the crashing water below. The sight of the water made Nick's head blank out again. Everything happened so fast. While Lee wasn't too far out of reach, Nick narrowly missed Lee's hand by a second.

Watching Lee fall to his soon to be watery grave, Nick felt something stirring inside of him.

 _Lee... NO! LEE!_ Nick's thoughts screamed internally in his mind. He quickly came to and jerked his hand back.

And then it happened.

 **(Cue Avatar: The Last Airbender OST –** _ **Ocean Spirit**_ **)**

A column of water rose out of the surf to catch the falling Lee before he could hit the surface. Nick saw this happen, but rather than question what just happened, he instinctively dove off the cliff. He grabbed Lee and pulled him over, dragging him back to shore.

After throwing Lee onto shore, Nick breathed hard and just realized the sight of water didn't bother him. He wondered how this was possible. Looking over to Lee, Nick concluded that saving Lee helped finally conquer his hydrophobia.

After coughing water out, Lee turned over to his side and saw Nick laying beside him.

 **(End theme)**

"Nicky...? You... you just saved me?" Lee stammered, flabbergasted that the same guy he's hassled for a year and half selflessly saved his life. "But, why? And how?"

"You're a jerk, but no way I'm sick enough to see you fall to death, dude."

"I don't get it though... I was falling looking up... and I know this is gonna sound hard to believe, but it seemed like I hit the water sooner, and softer, than I should have, like the water rose up behind me..."

Nick wondered this himself and wondered if he had something to do with making the water rise behind Lee.

"I should be dead..." Lee tried really hard to wrap this miraculous event around his head. "I don't know how it happened... honestly, now I don't care 'cause you saved me, Nick." He looked up at Nick. "Thanks, man, for saving my life. Somehow I doubt I'd probably do the same... man, I've been such a dick to you. I'm... I'm sorry, man."

"Yeah..." Nick closed his eyes, sighing and nodding. He extended his hand to Lee.

Lee took Nick's hand and was propped up to his feet. Lee sat down and stopped trying to make sense of everything that happened. Nick stood several feet from Lee and furrowed his brows.

"I can't believe that all just happened..."

"Me either, Lee. Y'know that water that came up behind ya? Well, I might've had something to do with it."

Lee looked at him in puzzlement. "I'm not following? There's no way you can control water. That was a freak accident... or some kind of miracle there."

"No, what I'm saying is I might've controlled the water and let it catch you."

"So, what are you saying? You're able to control water?"

Nick looked at his hands and then did a _tai chi_ hand movement. To his and Lee's surprise, a bundle of water floated out from the shore. Nick motioned the water bundle toward him as it snaked over and around him. Lee was flabbergasted seeing this.

"N...No way...!" Lee yelled in awe.

Nick dropped his arms as the water splattered on the ground. He gazed over his hands with widened eyes.

"Dude, I can control water!"

"But, you're scared of water..."

"Was scared of water, dude. You thanked me for saving your life, but I should be thanking you for helping me overcome my fear."

Lee didn't know what to say about this and turned away. "Yeah, you're welcome, I guess."

"Look, I know it's asking a lot, but could you not tell anyone about what happened? Or, about me being able to control water."

"Yeah, sure... whatever you want..." Lee nodded. "I'm good with secrets."

"Can I trust you?"

Nick and Lee looked eye to eye; the latter kept his glare intently on Nick's. Both slowly extended a hand out to each other. They muster up enough pride to shake hands.

"Promise."

 **(Cue Toonami OST –** _ **Chill**_ **)**

Initially this was handshake forged an uneasy friendship, which would later come to benefit them both. Their friendship would also benefit Nick's newly discovered waterbending abilities.

xxxxx

 _ **Beach Cove/September 3, 2005**_

Several months later, their shaky new friendship would bear startling results. Lee has since become Nick's trusted confidant. With his hydrophobia now behind him, Nick let Lee help him train in both surfing and waterbending.

Standing on the shoreline, Lee watched and motioned his arms to his left side, giving Nick a signal to waterbend. Nick was seen waterbending to create waves to surf on. During the first month of training, Nick would normally botch his waterbending techniques and fall into the water. However, with practice and suggestions from Lee, Nick soon mastered his waterbending skills.

xxxxx

Nick held a glass of water in front of him. His eyes were fixated on the sitting water. As he concentrated, Nick cleared this thoughts of everything and manipulated the water inside the glass. The water floated out and shaped into a glowing green sphere. He placed the glass down and turned to face Lee.

"Ok, Nick, you ready?" Lee asked, tossing a few rocks in hand.

Nodding, Nick beckoned him. "Let's do this."

With that, Lee tossed a rock, which Nick was able to deflect it with the sphere of water. He maneuvered around, utilizing _tai chi_ moves to shift the water sphere around and deflect the other rocks Lee was throwing. Lee threw a bigger rock, which Nick stopped by bending the water into a solid wall.

"Here's one coming at you!" Lee tossed a disc.

Nick collapsed the wall and shifted the water into a whip to knock the disc away. Lee threw another disc that Nick shattered with his water whip.

Every single move Nick made was calm and gentle, and as he concentrated, he was able to make efficient water tools for offense and defense.

"Nice work, Nick. You want to take a break now?"

Nick bent the water back into the glass and let out an exhausted sigh. "Sure, I could use some meditation now."

Besides training, Nick had spent the rest of his summer by joining a local pro surfing circuit. In order to hide his new ability from the public, and to compete on an even playing field, he opted to only use his waterbending powers during training. He relied on his surfing skills and joined a tournament during the season.

Despite a good effort, Nick's rustiness affected his performance and he never placed higher than third place. This resulted in Nick upping the ante by taking on his "advanced" training, which he had been receiving thanks to Lee.

Nick and Lee sat down together in meditation. They spent a good 20 minutes meditating near the shore.

Nick let out a deep breath and put his hands together.

"Yeah, I think we're done. That was a good day's training."

"Yeah, think you're ready for next year?"

"Oh you know it," smiled Nick, whose grin exuded renewed confidence.

xxxxx

By summer 2006, Nick was winning multiple tournaments, and he ranked in the Top 10 in the World.

However, he had yet to bring himself to tell his sister Penny about his powers.

Until now.

 **(End theme)**

xxxxx

 _ **Banks Residence/December 8, 2006/10:30 PM**_

One night, Nick was getting to bed early for morning training with Lee. However, he heard footsteps pass outside his door. When he looked into the hallway, he noticed someone in black exiting out through the bathroom window.

When he got a good look, he saw it was Penny sneaking out.

"Sis?" Nick whispered, watching her sneak out. "What are you up to?" He looked around noticing his parents were asleep and headed for the window to follow her.

xxxxx

 _ **Back Alley/11:30 PM**_

 **(Cue The Legend of Korra OST –** _ **Chi Blockers**_ **)**

With her "Metal Senses" on, Penny scanned the four thugs carrying metal objects. She spotted one of them carrying an aluminum baseball bat.

"Sheesh, is this all you've got?" Penny carefully eyed the thugs brandishing their metal objects.

"You ain't going anywhere, Coinshot!" A thug snickered, holding up his metal baseball bat.

Unbeknownst to Penny, a fifth thug with a matte-black knife appeared in the darkest corner of the alley.

"C'mon, who wants some first?!" Penny goaded them, knowing full well she was outnumbered.

Suddenly, the thug with the knife charged Penny from the rear. When Penny turned, she caught sight of the thug preparing to stab her, and realized, too late, why the thug had escaped her detection. He was wearing no metal whatsoever, and using a ceramic knife.

Penny had unknowingly walked right into an ambush. When the news of the "Coinshot Vigilante" had spread, the local thugs figured out her powers were metal-based and took drastic measures to fight her.

"Shit!" Penny cursed, unable to move with the knife coming toward her.

Then, from out of nowhere, someone intercepted the thug and disarmed him of the ceramic knife. Penny caught sight of a green water whip knocking the knife out of the thug's hand and shattering it against the wall. She then watched the person knock away the thug the same water whip. The other thugs became alarmed.

As Penny approached her savior, Nick turned around only to get a shocked look from her.

"N-Nickel?! How did you...?"

"Never mind that, behind you!"

The thug with the baseball bat swung at Nick, but he threw his water whip and smacked the thug away. When another tried to attack Nick with a metal baton, Penny shot a nickel into the guy's right shoulder, not only disarming him of the baton but dislocating his shoulder. She gathered up a bunch of pennies and shot two at the fourth thug. One to knock a metal knife from his hand and another with a headshot that knocked him out. The last one tried to attack Nick from behind.

"Behind you, Nick!"

Nick was ready for him. He amassed his water sphere and blasted the last thug in the gut, sending him flying back. As the thug with the dislocated shoulder tried to escape, Nick swept him off his feet with a water whip. Penny then ran up and booted him in the face, knocking him out.

 **(End theme)**

"And stay down!" Nick spat on the thug. He turned, shooting a grin to a flabbergasted Penny. "Hey, glad you're ok."

"Nickel, what are you doing here? How did you know I'd be here...?"

"I saw you leave through the window. I was worried you were out doing things ya shouldn't be doing."

"You're interfering with my line of work, Nickel."

"Um, hate to break it to ya, sis, but if I didn't come tonight you'd be in trouble. Maybe dead."

Penny scowled and waved him off. "Ok, yeah you're right, but I had a handle on this situation!"

"Didn't seem like it. That one guy tried to stab ya with a knife from behind," Nick pointed out, gesturing to the shattered knife.

"It's ceramic. Damn lowlifes must have finally figured out my powers."

"Since when can you shoot coins?" Nick asked.

"And since when can you control water?"

"Well, do you remember that alien ship that crashed in the bay? I think that might've been responsible..."

 **(Cue Toonami OST –** _ **Alien**_ **)**

Suddenly, the sounds of police sirens blared near by. Not wanting to get mixed up with the local authorities, Nick and Penny relocated somewhere far where they can continue their conversation.

xxxxx

Relocating in an empty basketball court, Nick and Penny talked and demonstrated each other's abilities. Penny shot up a wall using pennies. Nick showed off his waterbending abilities.

"Whoa, Nickel, that's incredible," Penny was in awe.

"I should say the same for you, sis."

"Look, thanks for helping me out back there, but..."

"I shouldn't stick my nose in this? You'd be in trouble if I didn't come to help tonight. Give me a chance. This vigilante stuff sounds fun."

Penny looked away, giving this some thought. She had hoped her brother wouldn't find out, allowing her to go out and do her vigilante work solo.

"I won't screw things up. How can I? You saw me handle those creeps back down, and they ain't got defenses against water attacks!"

Penny bit her lip and turned facing him. "Look, I just don't want you getting hurt because of me."

"I can handle myself just fine, Penny. Trust me. We've got each other's backs."

"Well..." Penny paused as she finally gave in. "All right, Nick, but we do things my way, got it?"

"Sure as long as it's nothing too reckless."

"Yeah, sure. Now, I take it mom and dad don't know?"

"About my powers? Nah, they don't."

"I guess this explains how you overcame that hydrophobia of yours."

"Yeah, and guess what?! Lee's the one who helped me overcome my fear and he's been helping me train...!" This puzzled Penny enough to stop him.

"Whoa, whoa, what?!"

"What's wrong, sis?"

She spat out loudly. "Lee? Really? That kid I gave a concussion to?!"

Nick blinked. "That was you?!"

"Um..."

"You realize that you've gotta apologize to him now..."

 **(End theme)**

xxxxx

 _Flash forward to present_

xxxxx

 _ **Seattle/Downtown/May 5, 2010/5:30 PM**_

 **(Cue Young Justice OST –** _ **Star City**_ **)**

Scott was out on his usual patrol again. He left the West Coasters' headquarters over an hour ago. Unbeknownst to him, he was being followed.

As Scott headed straight and went to his right on a street, Andrea hid inside an alleyway and watched him. She had been following him since he left for patrol this morning. This was the second time Scott left on patrol and she left to follow to monitor his activities. She was very careful not to be seen.

"All right, Scott, just what are you really doing? And where are you going?" Andrea wondered to herself. "Marty, I know you advised me not to scan his mind, but I have to consider the good of the team." She bolted out of the alley and walked behind some people to conceal herself. She poked her head out to see Scott already a block ahead.

As she walked over a block, she saw Scott making a left turn and prepared to bolt after him. She paused and eyed him making a stop to look around the block.

"Ok, I'm not leaving until I get to the bottom of this..." Andrea quietly vowed. Before she made her next move, a hand tapped her shoulder. "What?!" She quickly spun around and flipped out upon seeing Penny's brother. "Whoa, Nick?!"

"Hey, Andrea, what'cha doing?"

Andrea watched Scott looking over, but before he notice her she grabbed Nick and pulled him into a nearby alleyway. Cupping Nick's mouth, she lightly slammed him into the wall.

 **(End theme)**

"Oh god, that was close," Andrea loudly whispered. She scowled and sternly glared at Nick. "What are you doing here following me, Nick?!"

Nick tried to speak, but kindly pointed to her hand still cupping his mouth. Andrea lightly pulled her hand off.

"Gee, Andrea, ya didn't have to get all kung-fu military mode on me!" Nick backed off.

"Just get to the point, Nick."

"I saw ya sneaking out right as Scott left. I thought you could use some back-up for whatever you're, um... doing. Sorry for scaring ya like that."

"No, I'm sorry," Andrea openly apologized. "I didn't to mean to almost hurt you, but I acted out of instinct. Alright, I confess I left base to follow up on Scott."

"That was Scott you were following?"

"Yeah, I've been getting suspicious of the patrol duties he likes to claim he's doing."

"Well, he is patrolling now, right?"

"That's what it looks like, but I don't want to take chances, especially after he and Marty had a heated exchange last night."

"Is that what that yelling I heard? And sis looked upset about Scott."

Andrea nodded. "Yeah, I was shocked with Scott's behavior to Marty. Plus, he hasn't really told us what he does and sees during his patrols."

"Not even Marty knows?"

"No. So, I'm taking it upon myself to monitor Scott."

"Oh, but you're not alone! Maybe ya can use some company? Y'know a second set of eyes? What you see I'll see."

"Thanks, Nick, I appreciate the help, but..."

Nick put his hands on Andrea's arms. "Please, Andrea? I promise I won't mess up or give us away!" He pleaded to her.

Knowing she didn't have much time, Andrea willingly resigned. "Ok, Nick, but this is pretty much a covert op. We don't want Scott to know we're following him until I say so. I'd like us to confront him but make it so he doesn't suspect we've been tailing him."

"Ok, right, got it, Andrea!"

"Scott might've gotten further. We can't lose him!" She and Nick rushed out of the alleyway as they headed for the same area they left Scott. "Damn lost him!"

"Hey, isn't that him?" Nick pointed Andrea to the far northeast where Scott walked into.

"Yeah, that's him. On second thought, you being here will benefit me."

Nick smiled with elation. "Thanks, Andrea!"

"C'mon, let's get moving."

xxxxx

 _ **6:10 PM**_

 **(Cue Young Justice OST –** _ **Covert Ops**_ **)**

Andrea and Nick finally got close to Scott and scoped the vicinity. They spent over the next 30 minutes observing Scott as Andrea was adamant about confirming her suspicions. Once those 30 minutes passed, they saw Scott wasn't doing anything out of his usual patrolling.

"Yo, Andrea. He ain't doing anything suspicious, or something."

"I thought for sure he was doing other things outside of just a simple patrol. I had my suspicions because he'd take long for just patrolling the city."

Nick turned to Andrea. "What do ya think we should do?"

"Well, what else can we do?" Andrea sighed. "We confront him."

"You sure you want to do that?"

"Yes, I want to get a clear answer," Andrea bolted ahead toward Scott's direction.

"Hey, wait for me, Andrea!" Nick called out and followed her.

Just as Scott was set to wrap up his patrol of the area, he was confronted by Andrea and Nick. They approached him, catching Scott by surprise.

"Andrea? Nick? What are you doing here?" Scott asked them.

"I could ask you that same question, Scott. Is this where you patrol?" Andrea inquired, looking him dead in the eyes.

Slightly taken aback, Scott answered. "Um yeah this is one of the areas I do normally patrol. But, you didn't answer my question. What are you doing here?"

"We just wanted to check up on ya, dude," Nick said. "Andrea was worried."

"Is this because of last night's argument?" Scott reminded them of his heated exchange with Marty. "Look, I'm sorry about that. Did Marty send for you to bring me back?"

"Nope, I came on my own. I was also worried you'd try to get into a mix with those Metas we fought yesterday. But, I'm glad you didn't."

Scott nodded dismissively. "Nah, even I'm not that dense... though, I have been having blackouts lately."

"Really? Blackouts?" Andrea was taken aback.

"Whoa, you experienced blackouts, Scott?" Nick asked him deeply worried. "I can relate. I've experienced blackouts way back then, too."

Before Scott could respond to Nick, Andrea walked up to him.

"Andrea?"

"Hold still, Scott." She then took the time, and against Marty's wishes, to probe Scott's mind. _Sorry, but this has to be done._ She thought while scanning Scott's thoughts. To her relief, his thoughts conveyed the truth. "Scott... I'm sorry for mistrusting you. I thought..."

"You thought I've been lying?"

"Yeah, and I just had to read your mind to know the truth. Your mind told me all I needed to know. I'm sorry, Scott," Andrea openly apologized to him.

Scott nodded. "It's fine. Sometimes I even forget what I'm doing after these blackouts. I didn't want to go back and tell Marty, because I'm still new to the team."

"Nah, Lance is the newest member of our team now," Nick reminded him.

"But, I haven't been with you guys much longer than he has, Nick. Oh, never mind, you get the point."

Andrea insisted. "I think you need some rest, Scott. You can patrol again tomorrow..." Just then, she, Nick, and Scott heard a loud commotion from over a block away. "You hear that?"

"Yeah, sounds like some trouble," Nick nodded.

"Let's go check this out," Andrea stated, leading Nick and Scott down the block.

Upon arriving at the vicinity, the three West Coasters slipped behind a car. They sighted Buzz and Neuromancer's crew in the middle of another robbery. Customers and bystanders fled from the scene as Golem scared them off. Playdate used her toy soldiers to fire at any bystanders that got in the way.

"Ugh, great. Just our lucky day," Andrea grumbled.

"It's those bad Meta dudes again," Nick disproved of them.

"Should we even be here? Even the three of us can't take them all on," Scott muttered.

Buzz walked out of the store carrying bags of loot. "Hahah, yeah! They've got plenty of loot worth a lot! And lucky us, they were kind enough to open a safe full of money they've been stashing away!"

"Then, let's take it all!" Tunnel said, rushing inside to take the safe money.

"Why those..." Scott gritted.

"Calm down, Scott," Andrea whispered. "Remember you even said there's just three of us."

"Yeah, but doesn't mean I have to like sitting back and doing nothing."

"We will do something about it," Andrea said, calling up Marty on her cell. "Marty, it's Andrea. I'm in downtown with Nick and Scott. We've just seen those same rogue Metas we fought the other night. They're robbing another place."

Marty's voice came from her cell. " _Ok, is it just the three of you?_ "

"Yeah, but we could use back-up."

" _All right, Andrea. I'll be sending the others down. I also have a lock on your location._ "

"Ok, thanks, Marty."

" _Is Scott ok?_ "

"He's fine..." Andrea neglected to tell Marty about Scott's blackouts for now.

" _Ok then. Listen up, this time when you engage these rogue Metas, don't let them decide the match-ups. I want y'all to take the initiative and find the enemy you know you can defeat._ "

"Copy that, Marty," Andrea complied. "Tell the others our coordinates. Over and out." She closed her cell. "Ok, boys. We've got some bad guys to chase."

 **(End theme)**

Once Buzz and Neuromancer's crew finished their robbery, they got into their van. Just when they were going to drive off, a tidal wave crashed down and knocked their van over. Golem tried to control the van, but the tidal wave just completely knocked him out of course and sent the van crashing into a building wall. Neuromancer's crew stumbled out of the van drenched in water. Buzz emerged fuming and cursing.

"What in the hell just happened?!" Buzz cursed. "Who had the nerve to trash our joyride?!"

"You call that a joyride, dude?" Nick chimed in.

 **(Cue Young Justice OST –** _ **Revenge Mode**_ **)**

Buzz and Neuromancer's crew pivoted to their right as Andrea, Nick, and Scott came into view. Nick already had a green sphere of water swirling around him.

"Oh, it's the kiddos!" Mimic scoffed, drenching the water out from her hair.

"Came back to get your asses kicked again by us?" Tunnel chortled.

Golem stepped out of his van and saw how badly damage it was.

"Whoops, didn't mean to trash your ride, big guy," Nick smirked.

"You... you riff-raff destroyed my beautiful ride!" Golem yelled out at the three West Coasters.

"Yeah, and we'll do it all over again if we have to!" Scott retorted.

Andrea beckoned the two off. "Let's not antagonize them further than we already have!" She grabbed Nick and Scott. "You wanna tangle with us?! Follow us and we'll settle things!"

With that, the West Coasters bolted off leaving Buzz and Neuromancer's crew to rebound from their robbery bust.

"Never mind the loot! Get 'em!" Buzz ordered, quickly charging up electricity throughout his whole body.

Taking out a box, Playdate summoned her toy army. "Finally some fun!"

Buzz and Neuromancer's crew chased the three West Coasters toward their designated fighting location.

xxxxx

 _ **Warehouse/6:45 PM**_

As they arrived outside a warehouse facility, Andrea, Nick, and Scott looked around for places to hide and wait out for Neuromancer's crew. However, the rogue Metas managed to catch up and found them.

"Thought you could get away from us, kids?" Buzz chuckled, charging up his electrified fists. "This time we ain't showing you mercy!"

Golem converted his whole body to stone and popped his knuckles. "The water boy is mine for messing up my ride!"

"Bring it on, rock dude!" Nick goaded him, which earned him a glare from Andrea.

"Not yet," Andrea said, showing him her cell with Marty's message. She smiled. "Looks like this won't be 3 on 6 like these creeps wanted."

"What are you smiling for?" Buzz noticed Andrea's smirk.

"Just that you've fallen for our trap," Andrea replied coolly.

"What? You're bluffing!" Mimic called her out.

"Who cares?! Let's get them!" Playdate declared, sending her toy soldiers and dolls toward the West Coasters.

"Time to see if it's a bluff," Andrea grinned as green glow covered her. "This time we've learned from our mistakes!"

 **(End theme)**

Just when Buzz and Neuromancer's gang bumrushed the trio, a giant hand popped out of nowhere and blocked off their path. Alarmed, Neuromancer's gang saw Pharaohmon emerge. Lance was seen mounted on his partner's right shoulder. Then, Carmen came running out with an orange katana. Suddenly, some quarters were shot at Neuromancer crew's direction. They dodged and sighted Penny with a hand full of coins.

"Sis, glad ya came!" Nick called to Penny.

"Well, who else is going to get you out of trouble?" Penny replied. She noticed Scott and smiled to him.

"Damn, they got the jump on us!" Tunnel exclaimed.

"Who cares if they did or not?!" Buzz snapped. "We beat 'em once, and we can kick their butts again!"

Mimic scoffed, quickly brandishing her batons. "You kids should've left us alone. Now you're going to get it!"

Siren nodded and took on a fighting stance.

"My toy soldiers and dollies are gonna rough you up good!" Playdate declared adamantly.

The West Coasters amassed and faced off with Neuromancer's crew.

"I'm afraid things are going to play out much differently this time," Andrea stated.

"Enough of this! We're ending it here!" Buzz vowed.

 **(Cue Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker OST –** _ **Batman Defeats the Jokerz**_ **)**

With that, the West Coasters and Neuromancer's crew clashed once again. The six Metas spread out, picking and choosing their opponents. This time the West Coasters chose who they thought would be the right opponents.

xxxxx

Luring him away, Nick decided to take on Buzz. Buzz sends electrical blasts toward Nick. Nick parried away each blast with water.

"You'll have to try harder than that, Buzz dude!" Nick taunted him. He threw his water whip at Buzz.

The electric Meta narrowly dodged getting ensnared and discharged a bigger electric blast. Nick waved his hands around, manipulating a water ball into a barrier that protected him from Buzz's blasts. Buzz kept firing electric blasts at Nick.

"Damn you, boy!" Buzz scowled. "Come outta there!"

"And get my butt electrocuted? No way!" The water manipulator rebuked.

"Then, I'll force you out!" Buzz formed an electric ball, which expanded several times his usual blasts, and tossed it toward Nick.

Nick yelped and jumped out of his water barrier. The electrical blast hit the water ball and made it explode. Buzz dodged getting drenched in water. Upon seeing this, Nick found water pipe and had an idea. He waved his hands around manipulating and bending the water, now glowing green, out of the pipe.

"Hey, dude! Surf's up!" Nick yelled to Buzz, who prepared to blast him again. Pulling the water to him, Nick summoned a tidal wave from the water coming out and sent it at Buzz.

"Gah!" Buzz blanched at the tidal wave crashing down on him. As he got swept away, Buzz's electricity became a conductor for the water and he ended up getting short circuited for his troubles.

Nick collected the bundles of water and chuckled. "Heheh, even I know water and electricity don't mix well, dude."

xxxxx

Tunnel quickly earth bended the ground and threw rock slabs at Scott. However, Scott responded by creating wormhole. Tunnel was dismayed when his rock debris were sucked up by the wormholes. Then, more wormholes popped up behind Tunnel and those same rock debris hit him from behind.

"Ugh! Damn!" Tunnel grunted as he fell face-first after taking several rock debris to the back. He slowly propped himself up and summoned a rock wall in front of him. "Let's see you try to get me now, kid!"

Scott simply walked over and formed a wormhole on the rock wall. He readied a fist, put it through the wormhole, and punched past Tunnel's earthen defenses. Scott's fist connected with Tunnel's face, dazing him. As Tunnel stumbled back, Scott charged at him. Tunnel summoned a rock slab and sent it hurtling at Scott. Scott was ready and formed another hole. This time the rock slab came out of a portal to the left of Tunnel. The rock knocked Tunnel right into a wall. Tunnel got knocked unconscious and fell face-first on the ground.

"That all you got?" Scott sighed in annoyance.

xxxxx

Siren unleashed a high-pitched shriek to try disorient Carmen. She fired a sound bullet that Carmen dodged. When Siren another a focused sound blast, Carmen caught it with her katana.

"What?!" Siren was flabbergasted when her sound attack wasn't even doing much of anything to Carmen.

Siren's sound-based attack seemed to be giving Carmen's orange katana more of a boost and converting it to a brighter red. Using the soundlight produced from Siren's screams, Carmen's katana grew longer and sharper. Carmen headed straight for Siren and slashed at her. Siren ceased her screaming and backed away. She tried to parry and dodge Carmen's strikes, but the Latina was quicker than her opponent was.

Carmen quickly dropped to the ground and swept Siren off her feet with her blades. As Siren hit the ground, Carmen had her katana pointed to Siren's throat.

" _Don't even move,"_ Carmen threatened.

Knowing Carmen could easily slit her throat, Siren tried hard not to move as sweat drenched her face.

xxxxx

Mimic and Andrea, being the top hand-to-hand fighters of their groups, contested each other to see who was the better of the two. For a minute they seemed dead even until Mimic's copy ability kicked in and she started to mimic Andrea's own moves. Then, Mimic took out her batons and swung at Andrea, but Andrea quickly produced two psychic clones. Taken aback by three Andreas, Mimic didn't know which one to mimic first.

"Which one of you is the real one?!" Mimic yelled out frantically.

"C'mon and attack me! That is if you know which one is really me!" Andrea taunted Mimic, who charged and swung her batons around.

"You dare to toy with me?!"

The three Andreas, all imbued with the same green aura, switched themselves around to throw off Mimic. Mimic swung her batons at the one on the left, passing harmlessly through the fake. The one on the right threw a psychic punch that hit Mimic in the back.

"Why you!" Mimic shouted as she reached over to grab the Andrea that attacked her, but again passed right through her. "What?"

"I can make my psychic blasts come from anywhere," the middle Andrea retorted, "even my clones hands!"

Andrea probed Mimic's mind and smirked. _Figured out I'm the one in the middle, huh? Guess again!_

As Mimic charged the Andrea in the middle, she was shocked to find that it was also a clone, passing right through her. She was unable to stop her momentum when a fourth Andrea stepped out from behind a dumpster and clotheslined her to the ground. "I can also make my voice seem to come from anywhere." She took advantage of Mimic's confusion and disarmed her of her batons.

Suddenly, Mimic kipped up to her feet, and Andrea responded by utilizing telekinetic blasts in conjunction with her three clones punching and kicking Mimic. Mimic ended up a recipient of attacks from the psychic blasts. She tried covering up against the three doppelgangers. But, the real Andrea rushed over to club Mimic's back with the batons. As Mimic jolted from the blows, Andrea roundhouse kicked her in the face.

"It's lights out for you!" Andrea knocked her down with a knee to Mimic's jaw. As her doppelgangers stood next to her, all four Andreas waved fingers over her. "Thought you could take me? You're good, but still not on my level, sweetie." The real Andrea dropped the batons next to Mimic.

 **(End theme)**

xxxxx

 **(Cue Teen Titans Unreleased OST –** _ **Divide and Conquer**_ **)**

"Hahaha, get her, my dollies!" Playdate laughed, siccing her toy minions on Penny.

Penny scoffed in irritation. "Oh joy, I'm stuck with babysitting." At first, she freaked out at the sight of the toy soldiers and dolls firing projectiles toward her.

Penny narrowly dodged the projectiles and took out some nickels. Imbuing coins with green light, she finger flicked the nickels and took down the toy army at once.

"What?!" Playdate gaped in shock. "No! No fair! You used coins!"

"No fair, my ass. I call that fair play," Penny rolled her eyes.

"Dollies! Take aim!" Playdate beckoned.

Wasting no time, Penny fired up a shotgun burst of pennies that tore up the dolls with ease. As Playdate tried getting away, Penny fired her Silver Dollar Shot, which hit the ground in front of Playdate and knocked her back.

"Ahhh!" Playdate yelled as she hit the ground hard. She looked up as Penny stood over her. "You were trying to shoot me?!"

"Of course I was, dipshit. You tried to hurt me," Penny grabbed Playdate and picked her up. "And playtime's over for you."

xxxxx

Pharaohmon and Golem initially engaged in a test of strength. It seemed their strength could be comparable, but that changed when Pharaohmon grew in size.

As he stood aghast, Golem stammered. "Uh, Golem not afraid of you! Yeah... just need to formulate plan and come up with next move..."

Lance called him out. "Nah, sounds to me like you're scared! Do yourself a favor and give up!"

"Me? Give up?! You're outta your mind, boy!"

Golem charged and punched away at Pharaohmon, who stood and took the rock man's punches. Pharaohmon didn't even budge or flinch from any of Golem's blows.

"But, my punches do nothing!" Golem looked at his fists. He looked up and backed away as Pharaohmon stepped forward. "Uh... hold on! Wait, why don't you come down and fight me, boy?!"

"Cause I'm not your opponent. Pharaohmon is."

"How about we just end this?!" Pharaohmon declared, stomping his foot down in front of Golem. He caused the ground to shake and knocked Golem back.

When Golem readied a fist, Pharaohmon reared back and punched Golem's fist. The impact caused a shockwave enough to rattle the whole warehouse vicinity. Pharaohmon brought his other hand down and brushed Golem back. Golem hit the nearest wall, and before he could escape Pharaohmon dropped a foot on Golem. He crushed Golem under his foot and left him lying in a heap. Golem let out a deep grunt, turned back to normal, and fell unconscious.

"Yeah, I think we got our point across, Pharaohmon."

"He sure was a stubborn one."

Lance noticed his colleagues wrapping up their fights. "Oh good, they've just about beaten them! Guys, we did it!"

 **(End theme)**

xxxxx

As Nick went to meet with Penny, Buzz used this time to crawl away somewhere and took out the Souja Override Unit console. Realizing the fight wasn't going their way, he took his own drastic initiative.

"This calls for other measures... I'd hate to do this, but screw it..." Buzz then pressed a switch on the console. "Activating Phase Two." With that, it activated the Soujas, but a specific purpose.

 **(Cue Batman Beyond OST –** _ **Inque Escapes**_ **)**

xxxxx

The nearest Souja Units in Seattle, four of them, were activated by Buzz's Souja Override Unit. Not just activated, but switched from 'ignore' to 'seek' the specific Metas that had their samples collected, except for Buzz, of course.

The Souja Units' eyes lit up and they took flight. They beelined toward the location where the West Coasters and Neuromancer's crew were fighting.

xxxxx

"Heh, sorry, gang, but I had to take chances in case things went south..." Buzz muttered, slipping the console in his pocket. _I made sure the Soujas seek all but my own sample. Lucky me, I'll be safe and out of this mess!_

As the fights were ultimately settled, the West Coasters collected themselves, but were immediately caught off guard when the four Souja Units located them.

"Guys! Souja Units at ten o'clock!" Andrea alarmed the others.

"Man, not the welcoming committee we wanted," Lance muttered.

" _Guys, you have to get out of there!_ " Marty called out from Andrea's cell. " _Don't take any chances with fighting them!_ "

"Sis, we gotta go!" Nick called to Penny.

During the distress, Playdate took advantage and bit Penny's hand. Penny let out and turned to catch the Meta child running away.

"Why you...!" Penny scowled as she went after her, but Nick grabbed her.

"Yo, forget her, Penny! Let's go!"

Lance commanded Pharaohmon. "We have to go."

"Quick! Through the warehouse ahead of us!" Andrea commanded, leading her team into the abandoned warehouse.

"C'mon, Scotty!" Penny ran alongside him.

Meanwhile, Playdate hid behind some obstructions to catch her breath. She raised her eye view and caught Buzz with the Souja Override Device in hand.

"Hey!" Playdate yelled at him. "What are you...? You're the one who called those robots here!"

Caught on the act, Buzz growled in response. "So, what if I did? I'm saving my own ass!"

"I knew you shouldn't be trusted!" Playdate cried out. "Your stupid face never fooled me!" She dashed toward Buzz and prepared to use her technopathy to neutralize the device.

"Damn brat!" Buzz snapped and electrocuted the device. This destroyed the device altogether.

Not one to be betrayed, Playdate lunged at Buzz and headbutted him in the stomach. Buzz doubled over and fell back. Playdate picked away at the broken pieces of the device.

"No! It's all broken!" Playdate cried. She turned and watched Buzz running away. "You stupid traitor! You're going to pay!"

 **(End theme)**

Once the Souja Units landed, they painstakingly set their sights on Golem, Siren, Mimic, and Tunnel. The units probed the four Metas and profiled them.

" _Four Meta-Humans located. None putting up any resistance._ "

" _Collect the four Metas and deliver them to base._ "

" _There are other Metas in location. They will be apprehended._ "

"No!" Playdate gasped in horror as her four colleagues were being collected by a Souja. She adamantly rushed toward the Souja Units to save her friends. "Let them go, you overgrown tin cans!"

 **(Cue X-Men Legends OST –** _ **Sentinel Lab (Action)**_ **)**

The four Souja Units turned and scanned Playdate.

" _Another Meta in sight within facility. One showing hostility._ "

" _Apprehend her and capture the others._ "

Playdate utilized her technopathy to try take control of the four Souja Units.

"I'll get you to release my friends!" Playdate shouted defiantly, trying to take control of the Souja that held her friends in custody.

The West Coasters paused as they turned to see Playdate taking on the four Souja Units by herself.

"Is that kid stupid?!" Penny was flabbergasted by Playdate's undying loyalty to her colleagues.

"More like she's doing all she can to save her friends," Lance replied.

"She might be a Meta and our enemy, she's still a child! We've got to help her!" Scott declared as he headed off to aid Playdate.

"Wait, Scotty!" Penny cried out to him.

"We're all being hunted by these things. I think it's only right," Andrea said as she went ahead with Scott.

"Dudes, this is crazy! Should we even be helping them?!" Nick was confused with the whole situation.

As Playdate tried to further utilize her technopathy, she noticed it was doing little to nothing to the Souja Units.

' _ **SOUJA-24**_ 'quickly made off with the captured four Metas and and flew away from the vicinity.

"NO!" Playdate screamed, who had just failed to save her friends.

Another Souja, named _'_ _ **SOUJA-23**_ _,_ prepared to shoot out metal tendrils to ensnare her, but Scott intervened and saved her.

"Get back!" Scott ordered Playdate away. He then opened a portal right through the Souja's neck.

The decapitated Souja head fell right through the portal and ended up elsewhere, while the rest of its body crashed to the ground.

Amidst the confusion, Buzz saw his cue to escape. "No way am I getting mixed up with this!" Buzz yelled out.

Overhearing Buzz's outcry, Playdate shifted her eyes and saw him flee. Rather than go after him, she resigned to help the West Coasters handle the remaining two Souja Units. Pharaohmon clashed with one unit, named ' _ **SOUJA-30**_ ', and punched through the machine's head, tearing it clean off its shoulders. Pharaohmon then grabbed and tore off the Souja unit's left arm while punching a hole through its chest.

Penny used the silver dollar she used to stop Playdate and shot it through the other Souja, named ' _ **SOUJA-28**_ , unit's leg. With its left leg completely disabled, the Souja unit used its metal tendrils to try to grab Penny, but Nick intervened and deflected them with a water whip. Carmen quickly mounted the machine's back and drove her katanas through the Souja's chest. As a result, the machine shut down.

 **(End theme)**

"Great work, Carmen!" Andrea praised the Latina. She turned over to Playdate, who fell to her knees. "They took your teammates. I'm very sorry about that."

"Sorry?! Sorry isn't going to bring them back!" Playdate shouted at Andrea. "Who knows where that stupid robot took them! And that stupid Buzz jerk turned on us!"

"What? Turned on you?" Scott asked the Meta child. "Where is he?"

"I don't know! He got away. He used a device to bring the Souja here and then he broke it when I tried to stop him!"

"He brought them here. I can deduce it was a last course of action after we pretty much beat her group," Andrea discussed with her teammates.

"That would add up," Lance stated.

"Oh, the boss isn't going to like this I bet..." Playdate sighed, shaking her head in shame.

"Boss?" Andrea was confused.

 **(Cue Teen Titans Unreleased OST –** _ **Mysterious Enemy**_ **(1:10-1:32))**

Suddenly, the Souja that Carmen had disabled with her katana seemed to come back to life. It set its sights on Andrea and lunged forward to grab her.

"Andrea, behind you!" Scott warned her. He activated a portal that swallowed up and removed the machine's hand.

Once Scott disarmed the machine, Andrea discharged a green psychic blast that blew a hole through the machine's face, finishing it off for sure. As the machine hit the ground, its weight kicked up a bunch of dust into the air.

Just then, the group heard clapping and watched a shadowed figure step out into plain sight. As the dust settled, Neuromancer was revealed.

As he walked up to them, he clapped and addressed. "Well done, brother."

 **(End theme)**

xxxxx

Next chapter: _**Scott – Bridge**_

xxxxx

 **A/N:** Ok, how's that for an ending? Wonder whom Neuromancer is referring to as brother? Well questions will be answered in Scott's origin story.

Btw, yes that's how you spell _tai chi_. I'm taking note of that, Lazer.

Pretty much Nick's back story is more straightforward and the easiest one I've written (granted since parts of his story have already been shown in Penny's). Of course, he's had his own personal demon (hydrophobia) to overcome. The bully, Lee, introduced in Penny's story returns only to ultimately become Nick's friend, and was instrumental in Nick finally overcoming his hydrophobia.

For the West Coaster vs Neuromancer's Meta second fight, we decided to switch things up. Each West Coaster was paired with an opponent they were better suited to fight (ex. Mimic incapable to adapting to more than one Andrea). And now all the bad Metas except Playdate and Buzz get captured; the latter escapes and the others' fates remain unclear.

And here's LazerWulf's chapter notes.

 **LazerWulf's A/N:** Nick's powers are a cross between Katara from _Avatar: The Last Airbender_ , and Aqualad from _Young Justice_ , though it's mostly the waterbending that gets highlighted in this chapter. He has used water blades in previous chapters, though. Nick learning _tai chi_ and utilizing it in his waterbending is a nod to the fact that the waterbending forms in the _Avatar_ series are actually based on _tai chi_.

Like his sister, Nick's codename, 'Surgebinder', also springs from a Brandon Sanderson work, this time _The Stormlight Archive_ series. While 'surgebinding' is a catch-all term for the magic system in those books, and really has nothing to do with controlling water, it seemed to fit Nick's character.

 **My A/N:** All and all, easy chapter to write for the most part. The next chapter will be the final one and possibly double the usual length. Originally we intended for 6 chapters, but we recently opted to reduce it to five. Mostly for time, but there were some change in plans. That'll be briefly explained in next time. Moreover, the final chapter won't necessarily be the end of the story. What does that mean? That shall be explained, too.

Until then, sorry for the delay. Hopefully the next one comes out sooner, but no promises from either of us. Send a review and see you 'til the next update!


	5. Scott - Bridge

**A/N:** I understand it's been several months since the last update. I do apologize for the delay. I have a good reason why this and _Neos United_ have been updated sporadically. You'll know why once you've finished reading this chapter and look over the post-chapter A/N.

Here's Scott's chapter and this is the last chapter for this story. This is undoubtedly the longest chapter of this story, but the present day scenes were originally going to be two chapters, but plans have changed.

Without further delay, enjoy this chapter!

xxxxx

 _ **Seattle, Washington/November 29, 2003/9:15 PM**_

The Rajita invasion escalated on a global level. The west coast of North America was no exception, especially Seattle.

A fleet of Rajita soldiers attacked a local neighborhood. While most of the people had their souls extracted by the Orichalcos stones, others were taken captive and escorted into spacecrafts. They were to become subjects for experimentation.

And this was no exception for Dirk and Scott Montgomery, two brothers of Scottish descent. The ginger-haired brothers, along with a group of kids and teens, were forced out of their homes and lead into a large spacecraft.

A Rajita soldier prodded and pushed Scott forward. "Hurry along, simian!"

Scott walked forward with both hands behind his head. "Dirk..."

Dirk whispered back. "It'll be ok, Scott. Just hope they don't separate us."

"I can't believe an alien invasion is happening..."

"I know."

"Oh, I hope mom and dad are ok."

"Me, too, Scott." Dirk replied as he walked into the ship with his younger brother.

"Hey, keep moving, you naked apes!" A Rajita soldier hissed, prodding Dirk forward with an electrified prod.

"Augh!" Dirk wailed painfully as he fell to one knee and winced.

"Dirk! Leave him alone, you creep!" Scott shouted as he lunged for the Rajita soldier, but was zapped down by another soldier.

"Scott!" Dirk yelled out, watching two Rajita soldiers carrying Scott off.

"Let's hurry and bring them to General Kuiiza!" One of the Rajita soldiers decided. "He'll be pleased to start some human experimentation."

Dirk gritted and raised his head. He watched his brother being carried into the ship. "Scott...!" Before he could say anything more, he got knocked from behind by a Rajita soldier's laser rifle. He quickly blacked out as the last image he saw was Scott's face.

xxxxx

Chapter 5

 _ **Scott – Bridge**_

xxxxx

 _ **Rajita Mothership/Laboratory/11:30PM**_

 **(Cue Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood OST –** _ **Fifth Laboratory**_ **)**

Having awoken from unconsciousness, Scott found himself strapped to a metal platform. He tried moving his arms and legs, both of which were pinned down by metal clamps.

"Urk! What the hell?!" Scott cursed, trying to break loose.

"Scott, thank goodness," Dirk's voice was heard.

Looking over to his right, Scott saw Dirk caged up.

"Dirk?!"

"In case you're asking, yeah we're inside an alien ship. We're also not alone," Dirk pointed to other people, mostly teenagers and little children found locked in cages. "All of them here have already been experimented on. We're next."

Scott struggled to break loose. "Ugh, no! Dirk, help me out of here!"

Suddenly, two doors slid open and a sinister figure stepped into the laboratory. The brothers and the other prisoners saw a green-skinned man, garbed in black and dark green armor, approach Scott. The alien's face was human-like, except his cranium was enlarged and had small spikes jutting out of his temples. Scott looked up at the man's yellow reptilian eyes as they examined the teenage boy's body.

"What? Are you afraid, earthling?" The alien cruelly smirked, grabbing Scott's face. "Don't worry, I, General Kuiiza of the Rajita Empire, will ease your fears. Seeing that you tried to attack one of my men, you've shown to have some valor. I do admire that." He turned away, noticing Scott looking at Dirk. "And this human tried to save you. Judging by the bond you share, you two are brothers."

Dirk gripped his cage bars and growled. "Please, just let my brother go. Experiment on me instead!"

"Brother, please don't...!" Scott pleaded.

Kuiiza chortled darkly. "Oh, I can't do that. You two should consider yourselves lucky since I've decided to use you for a _special_ kind of experimentation."

With that, Kuiiza set down a canister. He opened the canister, which revealed two colored jewels: purple and orange.

"What are those?" Scott asked him nervously.

"Who knows? My men happened to find them at a mineral excavation during an incursion on Planet Vego," Kuiiza explained, caressing the two jewels. "I do not yet know of their origins, but I've sensed these jewels have immense powers. They feel similar to each other. Nothing like I've seen before. So, I've decided that since we have human captives, I could use some lab rats to experiment with. How fortunate two captives happened to be brothers. You two came at just the right time." He looked over to Scott and picked up the purple jewel.

"Please, don't do this!" Scott pleaded, screaming loudly. He veered his eyes away from the purple jewel.

"Heh, c'mon now this will only take a few moments. Whatever pain you feel will only be excruciating for a few seconds at most!" He turned Scott's head around facing him. Grabbing a hold of Scott's head with one hand, he slowly shoved the purple jewel into Scott's forehead.

As the purple jewel inched closer to Scott's forehead, it gleamed with life. Scott screamed painfully and loudly as the jewels was being shoved through his forehead. Every captive winched and turned away.

"SCOTT!" Dirk yelled out, shaking the bars violently. "STOP! LEAVE HIM ALONE!"

"Don't you dare reject this, boy! The last subject died immediately after I shoved this into him!" Kuiiza hissed as he finally shoved the whole jewel inside Scott's forehead.

Scott felt a pulsating pain erupt in his head as the jewels' purple light poured out. The boy's face contorted in pain as he struggled through.

"Scott! C'mon fight it!" Dirk saw the stress the jewel was putting his brother through. He shook the cage bars hard, nearly tipping over the whole cage.

"Ah, seems you're fired up to get this over with!" Kuiiza laughed as he walked over to the cage with the orange jewel. He opened the cage and pulled Dirk out.

Dirk grabbed the nearest object: a steel bar. He attempted to smash Kuiiza with it, but the Rajita general seized the steel object and booted Dirk back. He walked over and kicked Dirk's face, knocking him flat on his back.

"Dirk...!" Scott cried out while fighting against the pulsating pain in his head.

Kuiiza picked up the orange jewel and shoved it into Dirk's forehead. Dirk let out a similar pained cry like Scott. The jewel glowed with life as it was being driven inside Dirk's forehead. Dirk grabbed his forehead and wailed in pain.

"How does it feel, simian? Can't seem to handle it?!" Kuiiza laughed gleefully as Dirk's face contorted with pain.

"Now the question remains: can you last longer than my previous lab rats?" Kuiiza smirked cruelly, picking up and throwing Dirk back in his cage. He looked over to Scott and prodded his face. "Because if you can't handle these jewels' powers, then consider yourselves expendable in my eyes."

"General Kuiiza!" A Rajita soldier stormed in, interrupting Kuiiza, which earned him a glare from the general. "Oh, sir! I apologize, but we have an urgent situation!"

"You dare to interrupt me while I'm still experimenting with these filthy monkeys?" Kuiiza scowled.

"Sorry, sir, but Lord Ghidorah is demanding your audience."

"I see… then why didn't you say so, fool?" Kuiiza scoffed as he started out the door. "Oh, and don't you tucker out just yet, we've just gotten started." He turned to Scott and Dirk with an evil grin.

As the doors closed behind him, Dirk grabbed the steel bars and watched Scott still laying on the examination table.

"Scott, can you hear me? Scott!"

"It hurts... Dirk, please help make it stop..." He struggled in a pained tone.

"Don't worry, Scott. Somehow, someway, we'll find a way out of here..." Dirk gave his brother some sliver of hope despite the hopelessness of their current situation.

However, a group of heroes breaking into the ship would change everything for the brothers.

 **(End theme)**

xxxxx

 _ **Laboratory/November 30, 2003/3:30 PM**_

The sound of alarms loudly blared and the entire lab suddenly tilted to one side. The cage holding Dirk broke open, releasing him. Dirk hit the floor.

"Dirk? What's happening?!"

As he quickly came to hearing Scott's voice, Dirk looked around for something to pry his brother free.

"I don't know, but these alarms sound keep those freaks preoccupied!" Dirk called back. "Hang on, Scott! I'm getting us out!"

"How? Aren't you still in that cage?"

"Not anymore," Dirk found some scattered objects on the floor. He picked out a thin piece of metal and used it to try prying open a metal clamp on Scott's left arm.

"What are you doing? Is that going to work?"

"Only one way to find out," Dirk twisted the pick, prying the clamp open. "Ok, that's one!"

Scott yanked his right arm out and moved it around. "Thanks, Dirk."

"We're not out of this just yet," Dirk pried open Scott's left arm.

 **(Cue Young Justice OST –** _ **Covert Ops**_ **)**

With his arms freed, Scott sat up and noticed a switch on the side table. He pressed it, which undid the clamps over his feet.

"Huh, that could've saved me the trouble," Dirk shrugged. "C'mon, we have to get out of here." He helped Scott off the table and carried him toward the door.

"Hold on, Dirk."

"What?"

"We can't leave the others behind," Scott pointed to the other captives in the lab. "Who knows what that Kuiiza freak and his men might've done to them. We can't leave them here..."

Nodding, Dirk sighed. "You're right... but we've got to hurry before those aliens come back." He and Scott quickly started to open up the cages holding the other captives.

xxxxx

 _ **3:50 PM**_

Scott, Dirk, and the experimented captives stormed a hall as the alarms kept blaring loudly. They turned a corner and quickly hid out of sight as Rajita soldiers marched down a hall.

"Ssh, stay quiet," Dirk kept everyone concealed behind a wall.

"How are we going to get out of here, brother? These halls just seem endless! Like a maze!" Scott whispered loudly.

"We'll find a way out of here, Scott. I promise."

As the Rajita soldiers were out of sight, the brothers and the captives bolted down the hall until they reached door leading into a ship hangar. The doors slid open, granting them passage. They scoured behind massive boxes, staying out of sight.

"Whoa, look at all the ships!" Scott was in awe at the alien ships.

"You can be impressed after we steal a ship to get us out of here."

"But, who's going to fly one?"

"Me."

"But, you don't know how to fly an alien ship," one of the captives, a Chinese boy, pointed out.

"How hard can it be?," Dirk plainly said, eyeing for the closest ship. He veered to the right and set his sights on a shuttle. "Bingo, I found our ticket way out."

"That one?" Scott asked.

"Yeah," Dirk nodded, beckoning the group. "C'mon!"

As the group slipped by Rajita detection, they infiltrated the shuttle and got inside. Dirk ran so fast inside to find the flight deck. Scott followed Dirk into the flight deck and sat down next to him.

"You're sure you can fly this, Dirk?"

Dirk studied the controls. "Let me get the feel of this, Scott. I'll figure this out." He strapped himself in and pressed a switch, which turned on the controls. "Ok, now let's the hell out of here." He pressed a green button, which caused shuttle to back up against a wall.

"Dirk!" Scott bumped around.

"Hold on, I've got this!" Dirk said, pressing an opposite blue button.

The shuttle fired green blasts that blew a hole through another shuttle.

"Dirk! They're onto us!"

 **(End theme)**

 **(Cue Young Justice OST –** _ **Tick Tock Tick Tock**_ **)**

Dirk frantically looked around until his eyes fell on a red button. He pressed the button, which by chance made the shuttle lift off a platform and fly out of the hangar. Scott and Dirk hung on tight while the shuttle shot out of the mothership as it headed straight through Earth's entry.

"Ok, so do you know how to land?!" One of the captives yelled out from the back.

"I'd be lying if I said yes!" Dirk yelled out in response.

"Shit, we're going to die!" Another captive screamed and panicked.

The ship plunged through the atmosphere and headed straight for a crash landing toward Seattle. Dirk tried his best to steer the ship to prevent the impending crash impact.

"Dirk! You've got to steer the ship!" Scott yelled out to him. "Dirk!"

"I know! What do you think I'm doing?! Everyone, hang on!" Dirk yelled out to everyone.

The ship plunged further down into Seattle Harbor. Everyone in the ship were fearing the worst. Despite the situation, Dirk tried to steer as the best he can. In the midst of everyone else panicking, Scott felt his anxiety levels rise. As the ship shook hard during the turbulence, everyone was thrown around. Scott hit the back of the flight deck as something started to resonate in his head.

The shuttle was halfway from crashing into Seattle Harbor. Dirk grabbed Scott's hands almost resigning to their inevitable death.

However, something in Scott's head clicked and a subtle purple light glowed on his forehead. Almost immediately after that, something formed over Scott, Dirk, and the other passengers. It came quick and sudden.

 **(End theme)**

xxxxx

 _ **4:20 PM**_

Next thing he knew, Scott was laying on the shore with Dirk and the other escaped captives. They were quickly taken aback by a loud crash in the Seattle Harbor. They saw it was the same shuttle they used to escape.

"Hey, how did we get here?" One of the captives, a small boy, wondered as he clung next to his older brother.

"Beats me?" A teen girl thought the same, equally shocked they managed to survive what could've been the end for them.

Dirk looked over and saw Scott laying down grabbing his forehead.

"Scott?"

"I... I don't know how it happened..." Scott breathed hard trying to make sense of what happened. He kept his hands clamped over his forehead.

As Dirk tried prying Scott's hands from his forehead, he noted the purple glow on his brother's forehead fading.

"I didn't want you to see that..."

"That glow," Dirk muttered as his mind processed what he saw. "That came from that jewel that alien freak put in your head! Whatever you did... its power saved us."

"Oh god... we were so close to crashing in that water..."

"Scott, look at me!" Dirk turned his brother's face around and looked him dead in the eyes. "You and the jewel's power saved us! If you could do that, imagine what power that other jewel put in me could do!"

"But, what about the others? They got experimented on by those aliens... do they got powers, too?" Scott wondered, eyeing the others behind Dirk.

"Who knows? But, that's besides the point, Scott," Dirk said, propping Scott back to his feet. "You've just been given an ability thanks to that jewel."

"Yeah, whatever you did man, it's like you teleported us out of there," the older teen said while tending to his little brother. "That was crazy shit."

"Thanks, big bro!" The little kid happily addressed Scott.

A small smile adorned Scott's face. He continued to try processing what happened. He came to a reasonable conclusion that it took a near life threatening experience to activate the power of this mysterious jewel. He reacted to the fear of possibly dying in the crash and used it as a catalyst to activate his new ability: the power to teleport, or relocate.

"C'mon, Scott, we've got to get these kids back to their homes," Dirk insisted. "Then, then go home and see if our folks are ok."

Scott nodded quietly. "Yeah, sure."

"Look, I know you're still trying to make sense of that, but we'll talk about it more. Let's get these guys back home and hopefully we don't run into anymore of those aliens."

"Alright, Dirk," Scott replied, watching Dirk amass the captives and return them to their homes.

Not long after this Rajita invasion ceased, Scott and Dirk would further delve into their jewels' powers. Shortly after Scott realized his power, Dirk would 'experiment' and discover he has the ability to alter the perception of reality. They made a pact to keep their powers between them, but it wouldn't be too long when their parents found out. One of them had taken a great interest in their powers and use them for crime.

That individual was their mother: Jane Montgomery.

xxxxx

 _ **Montgomery Residence/December 18, 2003/5:30 PM**_

 **(Cue Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood OST -** _ **Nightmares**_ **)**

As she removed Scott's cap, Jane revealed the jewel on his head. The dark ginger-haired woman was taken aback by the object embedded on her son's forehead. Also present was her husband, a brunette-haired middle-aged man named Stephen, and Dirk.

"What is that?!" Jane demanded, gawking at the jewel on Scott's head.

"Mom, it's not what you think...!" Scott shouted, covering his forehead.

"Scott, what did you tell her?!" Dirk asked.

"Nothing, she caught me using my power!"

Jane pivoted to Dirk and narrowed her eyes. "What else are you two hiding?" She approached Dirk.

"Jane, can you explain what's going on here?" Stephen asked his wife.

"Seems our son has been keeping secrets from us," Jane replied, searching Dirk's face. "Or, rather son _s._ Dirk, you're in on this, too?"

"Dirk, I'm sorry..." Scott muttered.

"Now what secrets are you hiding from me, Dirk?" Jane looked her older son dead in the eye.

"Nothing..."

"I know when you're lying. That look on your face tells me otherwise!" Jane grabbed Dirk's face.

"Yeah, we both have powers!" Scott openly spoke up. "Is that what you need to know?!"

Stephen looked at his sons in confusion. He didn't know what to think. However, Jane simply smiled as Scott confessed. She didn't just smile, but she laughed some.

"Honey?" Stephen approached his wife.

"Mom, I know this is hard to believe..." Before Dirk could finish, Jane continued laughing and walked over to pour herself some wine to drink. "Maybe you need to lie down and try to absorb all this?"

"No, I'm perfectly fine," Jane faked a small laugh and sipped some wine. She nodded and smashed the wine glass on the floor. "Dirk, Scott, why didn't tell you tell me you two had abilities?!"

"Mom, we've only had our abilities for a few weeks. Ever since our alien abduction..."

"So, those aliens gave you these powers?" Jane's inquired, her curiosity was piqued. "Then, we should be thanking them."

"Why? It's because of an alien we had these jewels shoved in our heads! We have no way of removing them!" Scott yelled out.

"Don't you even think about removing them! We need your powers now more than anything!" Jane snapped at Scott and pivoted over to Dirk. "Don't even let that idea cross your thoughts! Do you even realize how much debt we owe?!"

"Yes, I know we're behind on payments..."

"We'll be behind on payments on this house! Do you want us to get kicked out of our home? And you're not making enough working at that dead end job of yours, Stephen!" Jane shot an incensed glare at her husband. "No, our sons having abilities is a blessing." She smirked calmly as she hugged Scott and Dirk. "Your powers could save us from our debt."

Scott sensed discomfort from what his mother was going to suggest. Dirk confronted his mother.

"I doubt you're asking us to use our powers for any good," Dirk said. "You want us to use our powers and turn to crime."

"Why not? You could save us from our debt!" Jane said, facing Scott. "Your power especially will be most useful."

"Mom, I know you're desperate and all..."

Jane went up to Scott and grabbed his shoulders. "Do you want us to be stuck in debt forever?!"

"No, of course not...!"

"Then, please for me, your brother, your father...the whole family you and Dirk will be the good sons! We've given you two the world, now it's time you give back to us! To me!" Jane pleaded to Scott, shaking his shoulders.

Scott tried to jerk his arms away, but Jane kept a firm grip on him.

"Mom!" Dirk yelled out to her as he tried pulling her away from Scott.

"If how about you help us out of our debt if our brother isn't willing to do it?" Jane asked Dirk.

"I..." Dirk looked at Scott and turned to his mother. He hesitated until he was reminded of their family's current debt.

"You know what's best for us, don't you, Dirk? You're not selfish like Scott."

Backing away from his mother, Dirk gritted and turned away.

"Whatever power you have, I'm sure it'll help us," Jane said.

"Dirk..." Stephen addressed his older son.

"Fine, mother..." Dirk ultimately decided. "I'll do it. And don't worry about Scott." He turned facing his mother. "I'll persuade him."

Upon hearing this, a conniving smile adorned the woman's features. "Good. Very good, my son. I knew you'd come to realize our situation." She caressed Dirk's face and chortled, turning around and facing Scott. "And Scott, I hope you change your mind. Family loyalty comes first above anything else."

 **(End theme)**

As Scott approached Dirk, Dirk pulled him to the side and whispered to him.

"Dirk, don't tell you're going through with this?"

"You have any other better options, Scott? Listen, just follow my lead."

"But..."

Dirk whispered into his ear. "Do you trust me?"

"Yes."

"Then, just follow my lead."

And from then on, Scott witnessed the beginnings of Dirk building his criminal empire. A criminal empire that would later become recruitment for Metas.

xxxxx

 _ **Abandoned Warehouse/December 13, 2005/9:00 PM**_

Over two years since turning to crime, the Montgomery brothers were not only able to bring their family out of debt, but their underground criminal gradually rose. Using his power to alter one's perception of reality thanks to his jewel, Dirk successfully recruited lowly and petty thugs to serve his family. Having recruited enough criminals to do his family's bidding, Dirk turned to the next best thing: recruiting Metas.

Dirk, using his power to mask the presence of his forehead jewel, looked down at a group people. They were mostly teens and young adults all with varied powers, but all derived from single source: the Rajita incursion. Yes, in fact, most received their powers from leaked coolants from Rajita ships, including the one Scott and Dirk had crashed into Seattle Harbor. Others were experiments who managed to escape in the confusion of the heroes' assault on the Rajita Mothership. A few were the ones who fled with Scott and Dirk.

Scott watched his brother closely from the sidelines.

 **(Cue The Legend of Korra OST –** _ **Amon**_ **)**

"You're all here because society rejected you! They've ostracized you for being given your new gifts! They react out of fear of being different! Do you think it's fair they can pass judgment for not truly comprehending the abilities we've been bestowed?!" Dirk persuaded the Meta crowd like a radical leader would. "Those people think we're the disease? I say we're the cure to mankind's ignorance. We shall educate them on what makes people with special abilities superior. If Japan can readily accept our super powered kind, then it's time for the United States to open their minds!"

Scott could only watch in support of his brother, but deep down he was on the fence of the 'Criminal Empire' that his family has built. Although, he had a part in building that 'empire' and recruited Metas to fight against the oppression they've been facing all over the western United States.

He watched Dirk walk down from the stairs. "Dirk, are you sure about this? Isn't this sending a wrong message? What if this leads to violence?"

"I just persuaded them through words. Their actions will speak louder than my words, Scott. And quite frankly it's their choice if they want to take action against the oppression they face in this decaying society."

"You've only been able to convince them using that jewel..." Scott was cut off by a glare from Dirk.

"Listen, you keep that between us. Yes, I've used my power to alter their reality. I did it for their good because humanity needs a reality check."

"Reality check?"

"Don't you see all the hatred toward their kind... _our_ kind, Scott? We didn't get our abilities by choice. These ignorant people don't understand us. They react out of fear for us, breeding hatred."

"But, is violence the answer?"

"Need I remind you of that couple in Los Angeles that were forced out of their home by their landlord for using their powers to stop some petty thieves? And they ultimately were pursued like criminals? The man was gunned down, but the woman is still in custody in a maximum security facility. Society judged them unfairly and fired the first shots. Consider this retaliation."

"Still, even if you feel this is right, I'm not sure..."

"Just like how you're still unsure of our family's empire?" Dirk asked.

"We've only come this far all because of our powers. And mother, had she not caught me using my powers..."

"Perhaps I can fix that?"

"Dirk, whatever you have in mind, don't..."

"I can make it happen so our mother never even knew we had powers. Perhaps I could go even further?"

Hearing this unnerved Scott as he wondered what Dirk alluded to.

xxxxx

 _ **10:30 PM**_

"Dirk, Scott? What is the meaning of this?" Jane demanded as Dirk approached her. "I thought everything was going well for us!"

"Jane Montgomery," Dirk frowned as he put his hand over her head. "I am no longer your son Dirk Montgomery. As of now, I shall be known as Neuromancer. And you, Jane, will ever forget you had two sons."

"But, our empire! We worked hard to build everything we've had...!"

"No, Scott and I were the ones who _built_ it! You and Stephen merely _leeched_ off our hard work," Dirk plainly said.

"Please, don't do this...! We can talk about this! Our empire can grow further! I promise I'll be more proactive...!"

"Jane Montgomery, you won't ever use anyone for your own personal gain again," Dirk blatantly said. And just like that, Jane looked around as she looked at her 'sons' in confusion.

"Who... who are you two? Where am I?" She asked.

Scott gasped. "Mom?"

"Mom? No, sorry boy, but I'm not your mother. You've mistaken me for someone else..." Jane walked past Scott.

"Dirk, you used your power on her?!"

"In order for our empire to grow, we must cut off the extra baggage holding us down. Now, our father is next."

Scott eyed Jane, who had walked out.

"Are you still with me, Scott? I don't need our parents, but I certainly hope you'll follow me."

Turning around, Scott complied to the behest of his brother. "We've been on this ride together. I have no intentions of ever leaving you."

Shortly thereafter, Dirk used his jewel's power to make forget Stephen had sons. By severing ties with their parents, the Montgomery brothers had no one to hold them back, especially Dirk, who had christened himself 'Neuromancer'. This was based upon his ability of altering people's minds. Scott named himself 'Bridge' for his ability of opening 'bridge'-like holes and teleporting people (or things) to other locations with certain limits.

Slowly but surely, Neuromancer continued to run his empire undetected for the next following years. Despite having gained Meta followers, they came and went. Most spread out across the country to follow his principles. Others were ultimately caught and imprisoned.

At this point, Scott was just a witness to his brother's empire. He was on the fence on the whole 'Criminal Empire' idea. However, little did he know that he, too, could've been influenced by Neuromancer's powers. Once their family was removed from the equation, Scott's loyalty to Neuromancer strengthened tenfold.

 **(End theme)**

xxxxx

 _ **Seattle, Washington/Empty Parking Lot/November 12, 2008/9:30 PM**_

Neuromancer was in need of loyal subjects that could help him and Scott gather the resources for their network. Neuromancer was able to find his first: Mimic.

 **(Cue Young Justice OST –** _ **Star City**_ **)**

The brothers arranged a meeting with Mimic in an empty parking lot. The tall and attractive blonde-haired woman, garbed in a black top and army jeans, sat on a bench waiting. She saw Scott, dressed in street clothes and wearing a beanie, walking up to her. She got up and took off her shades, looking quite frankly disappointed.

"Are you Neuromancer? Cute, I wasn't expecting a baby-faced kid," Mimic seemed disappointed. "Tell me I'm just being punked here." She bent over looking him in the eyes. "Well?"

"Actually, I can assure you, you're not miss," Neuromancer was heard in the shadows behind Scott. He walked forward dressed in a black suit, giving him a wealthy businessman appearance and had since abandoned the gang leader look. He has gained himself a beard, albeit a well-trimmed one. "Please excuse Scott. I hope my brother didn't dissuade you in any way of having our talk."

"I was going to leave because I don't like working with kids."

"Scott is not just any ordinary boy. He's got a unique power that saved our lives."

Mimic nodded. "Ok, I'll bite. You want Metas working for you? What are you looking for from me?"

"Well, what can you do?"

"I'm a combat expert, but it doesn't stop there. You've heard of a photographic memory? Well, I've got photographic reflexes. With the powers I have, I've taken my combat prowess to whole new levels. Anything I see I can replicate. I can copy one's moves and apply said moves against the opponent I'm fighting."

Neuromancer nodded. "Interesting. Yes, we could use someone with a fighting background, and someone of your caliber definitely lends us security." Before long, he and Mimic shook hands, prompting him to use his powers to alter her mind and effectively make her think she's already been part of their crew.

"Sir, I'm ready for whatever assignment you want to give me," Mimic said willingly.

xxxxx

 _ **Neuromancer's Office/November 30, 2008**_

A Samoan man, dressed in street clothes, walked in after being recruited by Scott and Mimic.

"You must be Tunnel. Yes, and you apparently have the ability of manipulating the earth?"

"Yes, sir, and forming tunnels as my name implies. Do my abilities make me qualified to join your gang?"

"I think they will," Neuromancer leaned forward in his chair. He looked at Tunnel and smiled.

Unbeknownst to Tunnel, Neuromancer had already gotten his hold over him. Tunnel felt persuaded and shook his new boss' hand.

"Welcome to our crew. Granted, we're small, but there's room for growth."

Scott quietly watched his brother and Tunnel shake hands.

xxxxx

 _ **Pier/January 23, 2009/11:00 PM**_

The next recruitment came in the form of young Chinese woman wearing a dark purple dress and black boots. She was approached by Scott, Mimic, and Tunnel first as they escorted her to the meeting area. There Neuromancer stepped out of a black limo.

"Evening, miss. I understand your name is Siren?"

"Yes, sir," Siren replied nervously.

"Please, don't be shy. You're in good company, Siren," Neuromancer approached her. "Tell me about your abilities."

Nodding, Siren answered. "I can use my voice to create high-frequency concussive blasts."

"Very intriguing," Neuromancer nodded. "Do you believe you'll make a good fit for our group?"

"I want to think so, sir."

"And I agree your talent will be of great use if we're ever cornered."

"Well, I do like to scream my loudest when cornered," Siren smirked coolly.

"In that case..." Neuromancer used his power to get a hold of Siren. "You're now one of us."

"Thank you, sir," Siren willing said, bowing to her new boss. "I won't fail you."

xxxxx

 _ **Outside of Seattle-Tacoma International Airport/February 24, 2009/9:30 PM**_

Following Scott and the group was a large Russian man wearing a black hoodie and blue jeans. They stopped just in time for them to see Neuromancer stepping out of his limo.

"Golem, I take it?" Neuromancer asked the Russian man. "So glad we could meet."

And like the others before him, Golem was 'persuaded' to join thanks to Neuromancer's powers.

xxxxx

 _ **Playground/March 6, 2009/6:30 PM**_

A little girl, about 8 years old, with long red hair and wearing a green dress sat on a swing, completely ostracized from her friends. The other kids were creeped out by her technopathy. She had cut herself off from the other kids and used her powers to bring her toys to life to call her friends.

Her life would soon change as she met Neuromancer.

"Who are you?" The girl asked him.

"Let's just say someone who's seen too many of our kind being shunned out by the rest of society. They look upon you as a freak, but me and my colleagues see you as someone valuable to our cause," Neuromancer addressed her, sitting on a swing next to her.

Scott watched Neuromancer negotiating with the child. He saw it awkward for a grown man to be conducting business with a child on swings. Nevertheless, he didn't question and simply let Dirk handle negotiations.

"So, what do you say? Your abilities will be very useful and we can punish those who've wronged you," Neuromancer convinced her.

Having been effected by his power, the girl reached out and shook his hand.

"You can call me Playdate," she answered, smiling with earnest. "A grown-up like you understands me better than kids my age."

"Do you have parents waiting for you?"

"Nah, let them worry. Maybe this will teach them a lesson to give me the attention I deserve. I'll go wherever you and your friends go."

Neuromancer got off the swing and looked at the sky. "Very well, Playdate. Welcome to our collective group."

xxxxx

 _ **Neuromancer's Office/March 7, 2009/5:30 PM**_

"And from this day forth you will be known as my Rogues," Neuromancer named his group.

Mimic, Golem, Tunnel, Siren, and Playdate stood together before their boss. They then started to converse to get better acquainted with each other.

Scott remained by his brother's side watching the new recruits.

"Well, Scott, what do you think?"

Scott said nothing and quietly eyed the Rogues.

xxxxx

 _ **Neuromancer's Office/January 12, 2010**_

Having been summoned to his brother's office, Scott faced Neuromancer waiting for his next directive.

"Scott, it seems we've got some competition in the area. Apparently, there's another group of metas out there, only they've been fighting crimes instead of committing them."

"What do you need me to do?"

"Infiltrate and report to me about these West Coasters' activities. I'm very interested in them," Neuromancer asked of his brother. "What do you say? Can you do that for me?"

Scott nodded in obedience. "As you wish, brother."

 **(End theme)**

xxxxx

 _Flash forward to present_

xxxxx

 _ **Outside Warehouse/May 5, 2010/7:05 PM**_

"Well done, brother?" Lance wondered in confusion initially.

"Brother?" Penny blinked, noticing Scott and Neuromancer staring quietly. "Scott? Does he mean you?"

"The hair and the eyes are kind of a giveaway," Nick said.

Andrea quipped. "That's besides the point, Nick."

Just then, Neuromancer pivoted over to Scott and maintained eye contact with him.

"You've done well, brother, bringing your friends here."

 **(Cue Young Justice OST –** _ **Psimon Says**_ **)**

Scott blinked twice and rattled his head. As he seemingly came to, he slowly lifted his head and smiled calmly.

"Scott?" Nick asked as he like the others noticed the grin etched on his features.

"Scott?! What's this about?!" Andrea angrily demanded from him.

However, Scott ignored his friends and approached Dirk. Scott then turned around standing side by side with Dirk, much to the shock of the other West Coasters.

"Scott, you've been in league with this guy?!" Lance exclaimed.

"I've always been in league with Dirk," Scott replied logically. "I don't know what you're all going on about."

Playdate, like the West Coasters, was just as befuddled. "What?! I've never seen you with us and the boss!" She turned to Neuromancer. "Right, boss?"

"That's because I purged any memories of my brother from you and your colleagues' realities, Playdate," Dirk proclaimed, lightly patting Scott's shoulder. "I knew Scott would never betray me, but to keep him from betraying himself, I also removed all of his memories of us."

"Wait, then you can create false memories and remove real ones?!" Andrea tried catching on. "Then... that would explain when I read Scott's mind, I couldn't read anything!"

"Because that's when he was working as my agent. Thankfully that prevents a mind reader like you to probe and confirm my existence," Neuromancer explained with a calm grin. "All that time Scott's been on 'patrol' is exactly what I want you to see. He's been doing our crew's bidding under all your noses and you never realized it. That's ok. All I needed was a trigger word in order to jog Scott's thoughts so we can arrange a place to meet. _Well done, brother_." Revealing the trigger word, he turned to Scott and repeated. " _Well done, brother_ , indeed. Isn't that right, Scott?"

"Yeah." Scott added without hesitation.

"Scott's already informed me of your abilities so I know what I'm dealing with."

"Scotty, tell us this isn't true!" Penny yelled out to him. "This guy is just bullshitting us!"

Scott turned over to Penny and said nothing. However, he saw the distraught look etched on her face.

"Forget these fools were ever your friends, Scott," Dirk said, beckoning him back. "Or, do you mind if I make them leave us?"

"You want some of us?!" Nick shouted toward Neuromancer. "Seriously, dude, you're just one guy against us!"

"Scott! Get back with us!" Penny pleaded to him. "Ditch this guy!"

"I hate to say it, but he's always been with his brother," Andrea hit everyone with this cold hard truth. "I knew something was up with him. He's been his brother's undercover agent while being with us!"

" _No, this can't be!"_ Carmen refused to accept.

"She has the right idea. Scott's always been my trusted Lieutenant. He's served me well, but now it's time to end this charade," Neuromancer stepped forward and placed both hands behind his back. "Now, West Coasters, demonstrate your powers to me. You effectively defeated my Rogues. Now I want to see your powers for myself."

 **(End theme)**

"Oh, consider it brought, jackass!" Penny furiously spat and rushed him.

"Penny, wait!" Nick chased his sibling.

"Withdraw, Penny!" Andrea ordered.

It was too late. Penny instinctively tossed out some nickels and smacked them with her hand, sending them flying out at Neuromancer. As the nickels headed straight for him, Neuromancer seemed to vanish, which caught Penny by surprise.

She blinked twice. "What? He's vanished?!"

"Penny, what are you aiming at?!" Nick yelled out to her. "You aimed the wrong way!"

"What?! No, he was right there?!" Before Penny could finish, she doubled over in pain and fell to her knees while holding her gut.

"Penny!" The West Coasters shouted together as they hurried over to check on her.

"Sis, are you ok?!" Nick checked over her.

Penny coughed as she scanned the vicinity and saw Neuromancer standing 10 feet from them.

"What are you talking about...?" Penny grunted. "I could've sworn I shot him! I was charging at him!"

"He was never right in front of you. You just stood there," Andrea said. "You wanted to attack, but you couldn't move and he quickly punched you."

"But... that... doesn't make sense?!" A flabbergasted Penny tried to make sense of the situation. "You mean... I didn't even attack him? But the nickels I shot him with!"

" _What nickels? You didn't shoot him with anything!"_ Carmen added.

 **(Cue Justice League Unlimited OST –** _ **Joker's Gang Fight**_ **)**

"Ok, you jerk! You're asking for it!" Nick growled, glaring intently at Neuromancer. "No one puts their hands on my sis!" He gathered water that covered the ground and formed a bundle, which wrapped over him.

"Nick, don't...!" Penny pleaded.

"Nick, withdraw now!" Andrea ordered him, but the water manipulator stubbornly rushed without a second thought in his head.

"Mess with my sis and you're gonna get wiped, dude!" Surgebinder defiantly yelled out, waving his hands around to shape the water bundle into a whip. He sent it crashing over Neuromancer. "I've got y...!"

 _ **Wham!**_

The water whip caught Nick instead as he ended up on the receiving end of his own attack instead!

 _What the hell...?!_ Were the thoughts running in the back of Nick's mind right now. He was sent flying back and hit the nearest wall.

"Your aim's even worse than your sister," Neuromancer remarked, standing in the same place as before. From another glance, he didn't seem to break a sweat.

"Nick!" Penny cried out to her brother.

Carmen readily attacked Neuromancer with a purple sabre. She slashed at him with a killer's intent, but Neuromancer utilized evasive counters to dodge her sabre strikes. Neuromancer attempted to parry her blade, but ended up getting cut on his right arm.

" _I've got him!"_ Carmen was shocked, to which she heard Andrea in front of her.

"What are you doing, Carmen?! It's me! You've been attacking me for no reason!"

Upon hearing her friend's voice, Carmen blinked thrice and shook her head. She saw Andrea in place of Neuromancer and saw that she inflicted the same wound she did to Dirk on Andrea. Andrea grabbed her arm and turned to her right. She saw Neuromancer in front of her. She discharged psychic blasts from her hands and blasted him, as they passed right through him. In his place were Penny and Carmen instead.

 _ **Boom!**_

The blasts instead hit Penny and Carmen. Both girls fell hard as Neuromancer reappeared and stalked toward them.

"I'm sorry, but who are you truly aiming for?" Neuromancer asked with a tinge of sarcasm in his tone. He crouched over and looked at Psyclone dead in the eyes. "Can I really believe it took you and your motley crew to beat my group? So far I'm very disappointed."

"You haven't beat us yet!" She rebuked as she lunged at Neuromancer, only to get kicked to the floor after he made himself invisible.

Neuromancer stood over Andrea's fallen body like he never even moved and folded his arms. "Looks like I am and will."

Penny's mind was blown at the sight of her friends being given a one-sided beating. She pivoted over to Scott and saw him not bothering to help the West Coasters.

Lance carefully planned his attack on Neuromancer. Neuromancer peered over his shoulder and sighted Lance. Lance saw his beaten friends lying about hurt. He clenched his fists and placed on one foot forward. However, he paused and summoned Pharaohmon behind Neuromancer.

"Hmm?" Neuromancer noticed Pharaohmon's fist coming down on him.

"You'll know I won't even need to attack you to take you down!" Lance declared. "Pharaohmon, crush him!"

"You think your tricks can work on a a being with untold strength?!" Pharaohmon bellowed, bringing his fist down on Neuromancer.

"Not really. No, but I'd watch who you smash."

Before long, Lance realized a large shadow loomed over him. He looked up and frantically screamed as Pharaohmon's fist came down over him. Lance's yells quickly garnered Pharaohmon's attention, abruptly stopping his fist before turning his partner into paste. Lance uncovered his eyes and saw Pharaohmon jerking his fist back.

"Lance, thank goodness you were able to stop me. I thought you were him and then you appeared."

"The hell is going on?!" Lance wondered, veering to his far right where Neuromancer stood where he had always been. His mind wandered toward his friends and then wondered what kind of acid trip he (and the others) have been through.

"What kind of sorcery does he possess?!" Pharaohmon speculated about Neuromancer's powers.

"Remember what he said about perception of reality," Lance referenced Neuromancer earlier.

"You're the first to catch on. Well done," Neuromancer addressed Lance. "From my understanding you don't have any power you call your own, but you summon this behemoth called a Digimon if I recall." He turned and smiled to Scott.

"Scott, I haven't known you for long, but I'm kinda glad I didn't!" Lance yelled out at him.

"Oh don't be too hard on my brother," Neuromancer stated. "He was merely exhibiting his undying loyalty to me. After all, no one betrays family, correct, Scott?"

"SCOTTY!" Penny snapped, berating him. "Get your head outta your ass and help us!"

"My such a dirty mouth. It's become apparent these so-called 'friends' of yours are not only a bad influence, but a negligent bunch. More reason to cut ties from them for good."

"You shut your pretentious ass up!" Penny cut off Neuromancer. "This is between me and Scotty! _Real_ people that care about him! Not some deluded asshole like you!"

Scott turned facing Penny. Before he could speak, Andrea got up ready to fight again. Neuromancer turned around and beckoned her to attack him.

"Andrea, don't!" Lance warned her. "He's doing something that's playing with your mind! I don't think mind reading's gonna do diddly squat!" As he tried to intervene, Andrea instinctively rushed Neuromancer without a second thought and tried reading his mind.

Neuromancer, however, didn't move from his position. As she tried to get into his mind, something flared in her mind and she fell grabbing her head. The next thing she knew she bumped right into Penny and fell right on top of her.

"Andrea!" Lance called out.

"No matter what he do, we risk hurting each other," Pharaohmon noted carefully. "Yes, this isn't an opponent we can't defeat by force."

Lance rushed over to check on Andrea and Penny. Meanwhile, Neuromancer called over to Scott.

"Brother, perhaps this is time to make our leave," Neuromancer suggested.

"Why not? Let's go, Dirk," Scott shrugged as he walked over to his brother.

 **(End theme)**

Having witnessed all this happen, Playdate was mesmerized. From her eyes, she saw the West Coasters completely taken out.

"This is boss' power?" Playdate whispered, watching Neuromancer leave with Scott.

"SCOTTY!" Penny called to him again. "This is what you've always intended to do? Use us to give info about us to your brother? Look, I understand sticking by your bro... he's your family... but listen, there's something awfully off about him." She continued to reason with him. "You can't completely trust him."

"But, he's someone I look up to. You wouldn't understand."

"I would since I do have Nick! But, we'd never use and betray our team the way you did! Tell me, was that talk we had all just a ruse to lower my guard?"

"Penny..." Before he could finish, Neuromancer placed a hand on his shoulder.

"You have nothing to explain to her. She's nothing to you at this point. We have bigger things ahead for us now."

"Scotty, don't...!" Penny yelled out as she reached to him, to which Neuromancer intercepted and grabbed her hand.

Scott did nothing and watched Neuromancer tightly grab Penny. Penny responded by spitting on Neuromancer's face.

"Sis..." Nick finally came to as he struggled to sit up. "Let her go!"

"Penny!" Andrea, Carmen, and Lance shouted in unison.

"You still haven't learned anything?" Neuromancer sighed in annoyance. "Scott, perhaps you'd like to do the honors and put her down?"

"I think that's far enough!" The voice belonging to the West Coaster leader came out of nowhere.

 **(Cue The Legend of Korra OST –** _ **Chi Blockers**_ **)**

Everyone turned and faced the source: Marty Stonebagel. All eyes were on Marty, who paced several steps toward Neuromancer and Scott. Taking advantage of the situation, Penny stomped on Neuromancer's foot and jerked her hand away from him. Marty paused halfway, standing 20 feet away from the Montgomery brothers.

"Ah, so you must be Marty," Neuromancer addressed the West Coaster leader. "The leader of this group of misfits."

"These misfits are my friends," Marty plainly said, eyeing Andrea and Carmen first. "They're also like a family to me. And speaking of family..." He shifted his view on Scott as his face conveyed disconcert. "Scott, why? No, I don't even need to know. I heard the conversation as soon as I got here."

"Unfortunately, unlike your friends, you don't seem to have any powers. At least that's what Scott informed of me," Neuromancer pointed out. "And you just me make an example out of your friends. So, what can one man do to me?"

Having heard this, Marty smirked knowing a specific detail about him was left out.

Neuromancer noticed Marty's calm smile and scoffed in response. "Delusions of grandeur, I see. Whether you have powers or not doesn't matter. On your knees just like your friends, dog." He prepared to use his mental perception powers.

Marty casually walked forward.

Neuromancer closed his eyes and drew upon his powers, trying to make himself seem like he was standing still, when in reality he was slowly walking up to Marty, preparing to throw a punch at him.

Marty stood his ground and caught Neuromancer's right fist. As soon as Neuromancer came into contact with Marty's power, a orange gem appeared in the middle of his forehead.

"What's this?! Why does my power not work on you?!" Neuromancer became transfixed on Marty, befuddled as to why his abilities are being rendered null against him.

Playdate was taken aback with the turn of events. She whispered. "Boss...?" Then, she blinked as her thoughts were cleared. "...huh? What?"

Marty looked over himself. _My powers are nullifying whatever powers he used on the others! Well, this can work out to my favor!_

"Try all you want. What's wrong? Can't use that power of yours?" Marty asked, still holding Neuromancer's fist.

"Let go!" Neuromancer demanded as he and Marty wrestled with each other. "Scott, help me!"

Scott prepared to make his move, but he stopped abruptly. He was confused as to why his brother and Marty were at each other's throats.

"Dirk? Marty?"

Marty went into fisticuffs with Dirk, but the larger man clubbed him in the back. Dirk grabbed Marty and slammed him to the ground. As Dirk reached over to Marty, Marty shot an elbow to his torso. Dirk grunted, but gutted it through. Dirk picked Marty up, but Marty punched Dirk's groin and brought him down a knee.

"Scott, aren't you going to help your brother? Or, are you still with us?!" Marty demanded while punching Neuromancer's face. "Make a choice now! But just know you go with him, you're our enemy!" He pushed Neuromancer to the ground as they rolled around punching each other.

"Don't listen to him! Brother, we're inseparable...!"

Scott shook his head as a certain memory returned to him. "...our mother. I remember..."

Neuromancer was a loss for words. He had previously used his power to make Scott forget about their mother, and also by extension made their mother forget she had two sons. Now, Marty's nullifying powers were reverting all the memories he's altered back to normal, including Scott's and their mother's.

Even Playdate, who seemed slightly confused, wondered who she had pledged her loyalty to. All she remembered was fighting the West Coasters alongside her Rogue companions.

After smacking him in the head with a board, Marty speared Neuromancer down and mounted him.

"You bastard... do you realize what you've done?!" Spitting blood from his lip, Neuromancer chastised Marty harshly.

Marty furrowed his brows and punched Neuromancer, knocking him out. "Yeah, I'm ending this farce." He turned to Scott and nodded. "So, what's your choice?"

Scott fell to his knees and looked down at Dirk, who was unconscious at Marty's feet. "Dirk... he altered my mind and made me forget about our mother? How long has that been? Dirk, why?"

Marty sighed. "It doesn't matter now. Your brother used you. Tell me, does a brother manipulate his sibling and use his power to alter their memories? The fact he made you forget you two had a mother..."

"Well, my mother wasn't exactly someone I wanted to remember fondly, but... still, my brother wouldn't just use me."

"Well, he did, Scott. That's the sad truth."

Scott watched Marty tend to the other West Coasters one by one. Marty checked over Andrea and hugged her. Penny helped Nick up. Lance picked Carmen up. Looking over to Dirk and back to the West Coasters, Scott was caught in a dilemma. While he still maintained memories of being with the West Coasters, he couldn't remember anything to do with the Dirk's Rogues.

"Scott," Andrea came up behind him and folded an arm around his neck. "If you were with your brother this whole time, then you'd know the ins and outs of his activities."

Scott was hesitant to say anything. His eyes were on Dirk, who was being tied up by Marty.

 **(End theme)**

"Don't worry about that, Andrea," Marty added, finishing tying up Dirk's hands with rope. "Scott doesn't need to tell us anything. His brother can tell all for us when he wakes up."

"Oh, speaking of which," Lance noticed Playdate, who was about to get away.

However, Penny sprinted forward and swiftly cut the child genius off from the pass. Playdate shrieked and fell back. Andrea reached down and seized Playdate's hand.

"And where do you think you're going, _sweetie pie_?" Andrea asked sarcastically.

"You try and escape, you'll be dealing with me," Penny growled, popping her knuckles. She looked over to Scott, who kept glaring down at his brother. "Scotty."

"How long 'till he wakes up?" Lance wondered.

"Don't worry he won't be asleep for long," Marty said.

xxxxx

 _ **Outskirts of Seattle/Ship Dock/Temporary Base/May 6, 2010/3:30 PM**_

Later, Dirk awoke to cold water splashing his face. He breathed hard and frantically looked around. He noticed he was relocated in the West Coasters' temporary base of operations.

He saw the West Coasters surrounding him, most giving him scornful looks. He saw Scott standing between Marty and Andrea. He noticed the ropes tying his hands together.

"Had a nice nap?" Marty addressed him.

"Ok, so you got me," Dirk shook off the water drenching his face. "Well done, West Coasters. You've even taken back my brother."

"I doubt he's going to take kindly to you after you've been altering his memories," Marty said firmly. "And don't even bother using your ability. You see, I have a unique power that allows me to nullify someone's power once they come in contact with me." He then took out a pair of handcuffs. "Just so you don't try anything funny after we untie you, I'm handcuffing myself to you."

"Try anything you want, I don't care..."

"Dirk, it is true? You toyed with my memories and removed our mother's existence from my mind?" Scott asked him straight.

"I did, but I had a good reason... did you forget the kind of monster that woman was? Molding us to be her pawns all due to our powers..."

"Even so, you didn't have to alter my memories, Dirk! I looked up to you! What gave you the right to do what you did?!" Scott angrily chastised Dirk. "That makes you no better than her!"

"Scott..."

Scott turned his back to Dirk, not bothering to give him so much of a glance. Penny tried to approach Scott, but Andrea cut her off and nodded.

"Scott, what he did was low, but I can see why he did it. To protect you," Marty said. "If what you say is true..."

Andrea finished probing Dirk's mind. "He's telling the truth. I was able to find out some details. Yeah, their mother manipulated Dirk and Scott to commit crimes. She was the catalyst that turned Dirk to crime. That would explain why Dirk started his own criminal empire and hired those Metas to do his bidding." She pivoted from Dirk and eyed Scott. "And Scott would join him since he looked up to him so much. Dirk used his power to alter Scott's memories and purged any memory of their mother from his mind."

"Ok, so you know," Dirk sighed. "But, that doesn't change the fact I did what I had to do to protect my brother and give him a fresh start on a new life."

"You should've been the good brother and let him choose his own livelihood!" Penny chided him.

"Sis, that's enough," Nick said. "No use talking through to this jerk."

"I'm tempted to sock him in the face."

"What else were you able to find, Andrea?" Marty asked her.

"I've found out he was dealing with that Buzz character and he was doing business with Viktor Trask."

"Wait, that's the crooked dude we saw on the news and behind that smear campaign that painted a bad light on us!" Nick exclaimed.

"So, that puts two and two together," Lance stated. "Dirk's in on the whole SOUJA thing."

"Not necessarily. Am I right, Dirk?" Marty asked him.

"Buzz was his lackey sent to negotiate with us. We made a deal for allow us to be undetected by the SOUJA's scanners," Dirk explained. "Blood samples were collected from me and the Rogues." He turned to Playdate, who was watched by Carmen. "Playdate, you might not even remember all that happened since you and the others only joined me due me manipulating you with my powers."

Playdate frowned and turned away. "All I remember is being with a group of Metas like me. I don't even remember you being with us." She turned her nose at the West Coasters. "And no matter what you do, I'm not helping y'all with anything!" She stuck her tongue out at them.

"Man, let's just ditch the brat," Penny scoffed irritably. "She's no use to us."

"Actually, she is and she will cooperate," Andrea firmly stated. "Unless we leave her behind to get hunted by SOUJAs everyday and hiding like the frightened child she truly is."

Having heard this, Playdate's left eye twitched. She thought of a scenario of herself getting caught by SOUJAs and being locked up with the other Rogues.

"Yeah, that'd suck to be chased by giant robots. If I were her, I'd go into hiding," Lance concurred.

Penny shrugged. "Like I said, let's just ditch her and let her leave the rest of her life in fear alone."

"Like I need anyone to take care of me..." The child scoffed, turning away and refraining eye contact with the West Coasters.

"Look, Playdate," Andrea calmly addressed her. "Having seen how your powers work, you're far more important than you think. Your powers of technopathy should help us find the location of the SOUJA factory."

Playdate turned and sighed. "How are my powers supposed to find that place? I don't even know where to start. Not like I want to help."

" _Remember that SOUJA head Scott teleported?"_ Carmen reminded them.

"That's right..." Scott nodded. "When I saved Carmen, I instinctively removed that one SOUJA's head."

" _We brought that head here so I could try to trace its signal back to their home base, but it's encryption is proving difficult to crack."_

"Maybe for you, but perhaps she can help," Marty gazed toward Playdate. "Right? From what Andrea and Penny told me, you might be able to utilize your technopathy to trace the signal of that severed head. That just might lead us back to the SOUJA factory."

Playdate snorted, furrowing her brows. "My powers are good, but I don't know if I can do that!"

Dirk spoke up. "It shouldn't hurt to try."

Playdate faced Dirk and veered her eyes from him. "Oh... you think I can?"

"Not once did I doubt you and your colleagues' abilities," Dirk said.

Playdate was hesitant to do as being asked of her. Partially because she didn't care for the West Coasters' well being one way or another, but also had doubts her technopathy could locate a signal of the severed robot's head part from a possibly far distance. After some mulling and a threatening glare from Penny, Playdate finally gave in. She placed her hand over the head of the SOUJA that Scott decapitated. She exercised her technopathy and tracked the signal to its home source.

"Wow… this… this isn't encryption," Playdate was half-rambling. "This isn't even software code. It's like it's… alive somehow."

"Is she going to find it?" Wondered Lance.

"Playdate with her technopathic powers can control any mechanical device with her mind. I've seen her manipulate cell phones to track people's phone numbers and can control computers without even touching them," Dirk slightly into depth about the child's abilities. "Tracking an AI should be easy for her."

"She better not screw around and lead us on some wild goose chase," Andrea said.

"Looks like she's finished," Marty watched Playdate jerk her hand away from the SOUJA head. "Well?"

"I've found the location," Playdate addressed everyone. "It's somewhere near Alaska."

"Oh, yeah like that's gonna help, you runt!" Penny snapped. "How about specifics?!"

"I don't have any right now," Playdate replied coolly, ignoring Penny's outburst. "That AI, it was like nothing I've ever come across. It was actively fighting me, trying to keep me from discovering its location. All I could get before it shut me down was a general area. If I get close enough, I should be able to get us a more accurate location."

"Oh, yeah, except this 'general area' happens to be the largest freakin' state in the country." Nick remarked, sarcastically.

"Everyone, there's no time for arguments. We have work to do," Marty stated. "Whether she's lying, she'll deal with us."

"I have complete faith she knows where to take us," Dirk said, painstakingly looking at Playdate without batting an eye.

"Lance, does Pharaohmon mind flying us to Alaska?" Marty asked him.

"Sure," he said as he took out his Digivice, which released Pharaohmon's sprite. "Ok, Pharaohmon, we have to take a trip to find the SOUJA factory. This girl will lead the way."

Pharaohmon's sprite nodded. "As you say, Lance..." With that, his body grew into a behemoth's size as he materialized his physical form, which captured Playdate's awe.

"Whoa..." Playdate was mesmerized.

"C'mon, everyone! The Pharaohmon Express awaits!" Lance invited the others to ride his back.

"Dude, Pharaohmon can do anything!" Nick got giddy over Pharaohmon being their own transport. "Isn't this cool, sis?!"

"Yeah, really cool," Penny said, pushing Playdate forward. "C'mon, get moving!"

Playdate snorted. "Don't shove!"

"Want a black eye and broken teeth?"

Playdate begrudgingly complied with Penny's demand and walked forward.

As Marty placed handcuffs on Dirk and escorted him, Scott walked behind them. Scott mulled over his choice whether to stay with the West Coasters.

"Scott, if you're having second thoughts, now isn't the time," Marty stated outright. "You can make your choice once this mission is over, but honestly I'd wish you'll stay with us."

"Even after what happened?"

"Your brother altered your memories against your will. You only acted because he had you under his power. And you had your loyalty to him. Listen, we'll discuss this once this mission is over. For now, stick with us."

"All right," Scott complied, continuing to march behind Marty and Dirk.

"You think he'll bend to you?" Dirk chortled, addressing Marty.

"That'll be his choice to make. You won't be manipulating with his perception of reality anymore," Marty said. "Not as long as I'm here."

"Well played, Marty. Well played indeed."

 **(Cue Young Justice OST –** _ **Martian Bio Ship**_ **)**

As the whole group mounted Pharaohmon's back, Lance beckoned his partner to airlift them. Pharaohmon slowly ascended off the ground and took into the air. Playdate pointed to the northwest direction.

"That way," Playdate pointed to the direction where she traced the severed head's signal.

"You know what to do, Pharaohmon," Lance said.

"As you command," Pharaohmon replied, flying them forward to the route Playdate directed them.

xxxxx

 _ **North Pacific Ocean**_

As Pharaohmon was flying over the North Pacific Ocean, Penny noticed Scott isolating himself from the others and went to check on him.

"Scott? You okay?" Penny asked him.

"Oh!" Scott jumped in surprise. "Umm… yeah. It's just hard to believe that not once in 5 years did I ever think about my parents, or think it was weird that I never thought about them."

"Is Dirk really that powerful?"

"It's not so much a question of power, but of delicate control. He sends out subtle suggestions, altering your perception of reality, and your mind does the rest. He doesn't even need to consciously maintain it, as the change becomes part of _his_ reality, at least until Marty nullified his powers."

"So that Jewel in his forehead that appeared when Marty touched him?"

"It's the source of his power, but the first thing he learned how to do was make others not see it. I, on the other hand," Scott said, pulling off his beanie and revealing a large purple jewel in the middle of his forehead, "just wear a hat."

Penny gasped.

"Yeah," Scott winced, "It's pretty ugly, no?"

"What? No! It's not that… I was just shocked. You've never talked about where you got your powers."

"I know. You guys, you all got your powers by chance, being in the wrong place at the right time, so to speak, but as for Dirk and me, this was done to us deliberately. The night of the Rajita Invasion, my brother and I were abducted and experimented on, which is when these Jewels were implanted in our foreheads."

"Oh, Scott…"

"It's okay, I'm over it now. I mean, if it hadn't been for that night, we never would've met." Scott winked, pulling his beanie back on. "Come on, let's go back to the others."

xxxxx

 _ **51°N, 180°W/Aleutian Islands**_

"There!" Playdate shouted, confirming the island's location and the signal's trace.

"Man, this far out?" Nick groaned, shivering.

" _It didn't take us that long,_ " Carmen replied.

"Man, if I knew it'd be cold, I'd brought something warm!" Nick complained.

"Suck it up, Nickel. It's not even that cold," Penny sighed, staying close with Playdate.

"Hey, I see smoke in the distance," Andrea noticed smoke building up in the sky in the distance. "Over there!" She pointed everyone toward a larger island.

 **(End theme)**

In fact, the source of the smoke emanated from a factory-like facility, which was barely noticed by plain sight. Marty narrowed on the factory as his suspicions were raised.

"Strange, judging by my phone's GPS reading, that island shouldn't be there," Marty indicated.

"What better place for a secret factory than an uncharted island?" Dirk scoffed.

"There's only one way to find out to confirm that," Andrea said.

"Just don't depend on me to save you all," Dirk plainly said.

"Don't worry we won't," Lance remarked, beckoning Pharaohmon to carry them to the factory island.

xxxxx

 _ **SOUJA Island**_

 **(Cue Marvel vs Capcom 3 OST –** _ **Sentinel Theme**_ **)**

As soon as they landed, the group were attacked by SOUJA units.

"Damn, I hate when your suspicions are right, Marty!" Penny shouted.

Four SOUJA units flew over the West Coasters and fired beams at them. The West Coasters quickly scattered, evading the incoming beams. Pharaohmon intercepted a few beams and used his body like a shield to protect the group.

"West Coasters, counterattack!" Marty barked while still keeping Dirk handcuffed to him.

The West Coasters quickly assembled and spread out. Andrea and Carmen double teamed one. Lance and Pharaohmon engaged another. Scott and Nick took on one. Penny and Playdate begrudgingly teamed against the fourth. Marty took cover with Dirk.

With one swipe of a red katana, Songblade cut off the legs of a SOUJA. Psyclone then discharged a psychic blast that ripped through the machine's torso. Songblade finished it off with a clean swipe of the SOUJA's head.

Pharaohmon punched through his SOUJA opponent's chest, ripping out its digitized core and crushed it. The machine quickly fell apart in a heap.

As the SOUJA charged at him, Bridge summoned a wormhole that the machine flew right through. Another wormhole opened nearby and the SOUJA came flying out, only to dive right smack a wall of water forged by Surgebinder. Surgebinder then shifted the water and sent it crashing into the SOUJA. The tidal wave swept the SOUJA and sent it crashing hard into a rock formation where it exploded into a heap of junk.

Coinshot gathered a handful of pennies that she smacked and sent flying into a SOUJA. The coins tore through its right leg, causing it to collapse. Playdate then mounted the back of the SOUJA's head, using her technopathy to control the SOUJA. She controlled the machine, making it tear down the fenced wall barricading the factory.

"Good job, y'all! We've breached!" Marty called out. "Now, let's hurry before more find us!"

xxxxx

 _ **SOUJA Factory**_

Having heard the security siren blaring, Viktor Trask turned to his screens where security cameras caught the West Coasters breaking in. He watched in distress as handful of his SOUJA units were being systematically been taken apart by the Metas.

"What?! Metas here?!" Trask exclaimed in shock. He bit his bottom lip. "But, they shouldn't know the existence of this factory... unless..." He then remembered Buzz. "That fool... don't tell me they ratted out the factory's location out of him!" He pressed a switch which followed the West Coasters via security cameras.

Then, to his surprised dismay, he saw Dirk was with them. "That's Neuromancer who I sent Buzz to collaborate with, isn't it? Why is he with them?" He mused in confusion. "And they're getting closer to SOUJA Prime! If they destroy it, then all our hard work will have been for nothing!"

He turned and bolted for the door, making his way toward SOUJA Prime's location before the West Coasters reach it.

"What I fool I am to trust to trust Metas!" He took out a remote and pressed it, relaying a signal to his sentries. "Security drones and SOUJA units, you are to protect SOUJA Prime! Intercept the Metas that are about to breach! Take them down with lethal force!"

 **(End theme)**

xxxxx

 **(Cue X-Men Legends OST –** _ **Sentinel Lab (Action)**_ **)**

As they rushed into a corridor, the West Coasters, Dirk, and Playdate got caught in a battle with security drones. A couple of humanoid machines opened fire with laser blasts. Three dog prowlers rushed the West Coasters.

"They've got robo-mutts, too?!" Nick freaked out.

"Why are you even surprised?!" Scott exclaimed. "The whole place is crawling with robots!"

"Will you two save it?!" Penny scoffed as she fired a quarter that took out a prowler's front leg. She then fired another dime that punched a hole through its forehead, taking it out.

Andrea formed two psychic clones, all of whom formed similar green auras, and switched themselves around. A security drone fired laser shots, a few going right through Andrea's _**Psy-clones**_. The real Andrea used telekinesis to lift a large canister behind security drones and tossed it, smashing two security drones into a wall.

As a prowler rushed over toward Andrea, Carmen intervened and swiftly slashed the prowler in two with her red katana.

"Thanks, Carmen!" Andrea called to her.

"Here comes a wipe out, robo-dudes!" Nick yelled out, opening up his water container and condensing bundles of water into a hammer-like shape. As he motioned his hand like a hammer, the condensed water crashed into two security drones and neutralized them.

"That's it. Come here, boy," Scott whistled and beckoned the last prowler toward him.

As the prowler lunged at him, Scott summoned a wormhole that relocated the prowler elsewhere in the facility.

Just then, more humanoid security drones appeared behind the group. Lance turned and took out his Digivice.

"Pharaohmon, smash them up!" Lance beckoned as a giant bandaged hand popped out and punched the security robots, smashing them all together into a wall. "Nicely done, my friend!"

Pharaohmon's miniature face materialized on Lance's Digivice and cackled a high-pitched snicker.

"Martin, you've assembled quite the team. I can clearly see how they could beat my group," Dirk remarked nonchalantly.

Marty shrugged. "What can I say? When I see good talent, I don't brainwash them into following me." He then called out. "Let's get moving before more start coming!"

"Hey, brat! That means you, too!" Penny turned to Playdate, who was seen using her technopathy power to revive the prowler she neutralized. "The hell? Leave that thing behind!"

"Are you kidding? This thing is primo technology!" Playdate patted the prowler, which hunched over to give her a ride. "C'mon, Rover! Let's follow them!"

'Rover' obediently complied and raced ahead to follow the West Coasters. Penny followed and watched in aghast.

"I swear that kid is something else!" Penny snorted, rolling her eyes.

"C'mon, Penny! Keep up!" Andrea called to her.

"I see an opening out of this hall!" Scott pointed ahead.

"Hopefully to the main factory!" Marty raced ahead with everyone.

 **(End theme)**

As the group finally cleared the hallway, they arrived inside the central SOUJA factory. They surveyed a massive area big enough to manufacture the SOUJA units. They sighted a large robotic figure fully embellished in silver cybernetic armor and seated on a large cybernetic chair. It looked nearly identical to the smaller SOUJA units, but it has a skull-like visage with dreadlock-like extensions hanging its head. It, too, had the same white globe-shaped symbol on its forehead. Adorning the crown of the giant machine's head were sharp pointed extensions.

"Holy cow," Was all Nick could say as he and the others were awestruck by the giant SOUJA's presence.

"That must be the one creating those SOUJA units!" Lance was flabbergasted by the machine's immense size.

"Yes, and all the more reason to destroy it now!" Andrea declared.

"All right, West Coasters! Let's tear it down and shut this place down permanently!" Marty ordered, however he was instantly stopped when a bullet hit the ground near him. "The hell?!"

"Stop where you are!" Trask was heard above them. "I'm not letting you near SOUJA Prime!" He finally appeared in plain sight as he descended on a platform. He had a pistol drawn out and ready to shoot with.

 **(Cue X-Men Legends OST –** _ **Sentinel Factory (Quiet)**_ **)**

"That's...!" Scott exclaimed as his brother cut him off.

"Viktor Trask, so we finally meet," Dirk addressed the SOUJA operator. "My, aren't you looking tense this evening."

"I have every reason to considering you brought these Metas here and infiltrated this top secret facility!" Trask scowled as his face contorted with anger. His eyes brimmed with intense apprehension when gazing on the West Coasters and their cohorts. "I swear, none of you are leaving here alive! Not even you, Neuromancer!"

Dirk shrugged. "I was never keen on keeping our business relationship long term. Still, your toady, Buzz, proved quite beneficial when I needed him."

"Shut up, you Meta! Don't talk down to me!" Trask fired another shot, which missed the man known as Neuromancer.

"Trask, you're painting Metas in a negative light!" Marty reasoned with the unhinged man. "Now you've got nearly half of America treating Metas like a disease! My friends never asked for the powers they've been bestowed with, but circumstances didn't allow that and look where they are. You should call off your SOUJAs and end whatever personal vendetta you have against Meta-kind!"

Having heard enough, Trask fired a few shots into the ceiling. "Shut up! I don't have to listen to Meta sympathizers! The fact you defend these menaces isn't good enough to sway me! Look at this country! Before the alien ships crashed on the West Coast, there were hardly any of their kind, but since those ships crashed, Metas started to spring up like rabbits and they've spread through this country!" He pointed his gun toward Marty, to which the West Coasters responded by barricading him. "Yes, I'm talking to you, freaks!" He chuckled and huffed hard. "I made it a mission to my country to apprehend your kind, so I convinced the powers that be in the White House to allow me to produce these SOUJA units using some particular alien tech recovered from one of those Rajita ships. The last thing I want is to see this great country get overrun by powered beings like what's happened to Japan. Their country has become too lax and dependent on super powered that's it a wonder why they haven't been on a leash. I won't let the United States fall into that same pitfall!"

"Look, Trask just put the gun down," Dirk sighed. "Don't be the fool. You're outnumbered and outmatched. Once they've neutralized your SOUJA Prime, you likely won't have any SOUJA units to control anymore. Take the mother control out and the drones will fall."

"We'll see. Granted it'll take a while for the units to reach us, but that's not to say SOUJA Prime is completely defenseless!" Trask snarled as he pivoted over to the giant machine. "SOUJA Prime, I command you to rise and exterminate the ones endangering my life!" He pointed to the West Coasters, Dirk, and Playdate. "They must not leave here alive!"

 **(End theme)**

Almost as if coming to life by its own will, SOUJA Prime awoke and slowly rose from its chair. It stood a staggering 30 feet tall. The machine's red eyes burned with the desire to follow its master's command and eradicate the intruders. SOUJA Prime scanned each West Coaster and then finally paused on Marty, who didn't give off any kind of kind of energy for its sensors to detect.

" _This one has no energy signature to detect,"_ SOUJA Prime analyzed. _"SOUJAs not programmed to apprehend and terminate humans."_

"He's an exception! He's a sympathizer that's chosen to betray his own kind! Eliminate him and his Meta-Human cohorts!" Trask commanded.

" _Affirmative. As you command, Trask,"_ SOUJA Prime reached out for Marty first, but Andrea pushed him aside.

 **(Cue X-Men Legends OST –** _ **Sentinel Factory (Action)**_ **)**

Andrea and Marty both rolled away from SOUJA Prime. The other West Coasters initiated their first strike on SOUJA Prime.

"Marty, get somewhere safe! We'll handle this!" Andrea commanded.

"Better yet..." Marty watched Trask descending with his platform and trying to make a quick getaway. "I'll go after Trask! Can't let him get away! Dirk, come with me!"

"As if I have a choice," Dirk muttered, glancing at the handcuffs still connecting him to Marty.

"Be careful," Andrea nodded to Marty, turning back around and using telekinesis to pull apart a giant steel pole, which she used to shove through SOUJA Prime's left shoulder.

As SOUJA Prime reached to yank the pole out, Carmen sliced off some of its dreadlocks with her sword. As Penny readied a silver dollar, SOUJA Prime fired a beam that tore apart the walkway the West Coasters were on.

"Everyone, grab onto something!" Andrea shouted as she hopped up and grabbed a hanging pole. She avoided a rough landing altogether.

The other West Coasters grabbed onto some steel hanging from the walkway and landed on the ground level. Rover jumped down carrying Playdate.

"Whew, that was close!" Playdate let out a deep sigh of relief.

"Shit, I dropped my silver dollar somewhere!" Penny scoured for her lucky coin. "I was going to shoot him with it!"

" _Find it! We'll cover for you!"_ Carmen said, brandishing her red glowing katana.

Focusing her telekinetic powers, Andrea bathed herself in a green glow and floated into the ceiling. SOUJA Prime quickly opened fire with beams, which Andrea flew around and dodged.

Lance landed somewhere and took out his Digivice. He summoned Pharaohmon out of his Digivice. The Wizard Man Digimon towered over everyone and turned to face SOUJA Prime. Pharaohmon smashed his fists together and puffed out smoke from his mouth.

"Ready to fight, Pharaohmon?!"

"Let's put this giant walking heap of metal away!" Pharaohmon bellowed and charged toward SOUJA Prime. He clenched his right hand and clobbered SOUJA Prime, knocking it over and making it fall on top of some semi-finished SOUJA units. "I say we destroy this whole factory along with it!"

"The big guy has the right idea!" Scott added.

Meanwhile, Penny continued scouring for her silver dollar.

"Sis, have you found your lucky coin yet?!"

"I'm hurrying, Nickel, but there's too much metal around here and I can't pinpoint it!" She yelled out, digging through the walkway debris.

As SOUJA Prime recovered to its feet, Pharaohmon charged again and caught it with another fist to its face. Pharaohmon picked SOUJA Prime up and slammed it on its chair. Pharaohmon prepared to punch it again, but SOUJA Prime narrowly dodged and disoriented the Digimon with a fist to the gut. SOUJA Prime then grabbed Pharaohmon and tossed him off. SOUJA Prime unloaded a barrage of blasts that pummeled Pharaohmon like mad.

"Pharaohmon, get up and fight, buddy!" Lance shouted encouragement to him.

Nick pivoted over to a large water containment unit. "Whoa, there's a load of water in this container! This'll definitely do!" He waved his hands around and manipulated the energy inside the containment. "C'mon, easy does it!" He started forcing water out and slowly amassed a big ball of water overhead.

SOUJA Prime continued firing blasts on Pharaohmon until the Digimon rebounded and formed mystic energy in his hands. He raised a hand and batted away the incoming blasts from the machine. Pharaohmon rushed SOUJA Prime and punched the machine back using energy-imbued fists.

"Yes, stay on him, Pharaohmon!" Lance encouraged his partner on.

 **(End theme)**

xxxxx

As they continued their pursuit of Trask, Dirk stopped Marty.

"Why are you stopping me?"

Dirk persuaded. "Permit me to stop him using my power."

"You do know you're still handcuffed to me."

"I take it you have a key?"

Marty nodded. "Yes, in my pocket. How can I be sure you won't escape if I undo the cuffs?"

"You have my word. We have different interests as far as Meta-kind goes, but we share a common enemy."

As he mulled for a few seconds, Marty took out the keys and undid the cuffs. Dirk rubbed his wrist and smirked.

"Make it fast, but I'll be keeping a close eye on you."

"I'll make sure that man doesn't get away."

"Then go on, I'll be behind you."

xxxxx

Making his getaway from the factory, Trask was on his way out toward a helicopter situated outside the factory. He saw two robot drones outside waiting for him.

"Yes, my way out of here!" Trask yelled out, laughing gloriously.

Then, as he blinked, the entire scenery shifted and changed before his very eyes. The helicopter was gone. In place of the helicopter and the drones were large wooden crates and two metal containers. Trask blinked thrice as he realized he was back in the factory.

"Huh? What... what happened?!" A flabbergasted Trask scanned around. "No, I was outside! The helicopter is just outside the factory! I know I left the doors!"

 **(Cue Metal Gear Solid OST –** _ **Encounter**_ **)**

"That's because you never left the factory to begin with, Trask," Dirk calmly interjected, causing Trask to whirl around and shoot him an incensed look. He smirked. "You're too worked up you don't even remember where you're going anymore."

"Fool! No one knows the layout of this factory than I! I helped build it!"

"And I just renovated it," Dirk said, calmly waltzing toward the tense man.

"Dirk, this is part of that power of yours, isn't it?!"

Dirk smirked and beckoned Trask to shoot him. When Trask took him on the challenge, he fired a shot and the next thing Trask knew he was on his knee holding his right arm, which got shot.

"Augh, what?!" He was taken aback as he cringed in pain. He noticed the bullet wound on his arm and saw blood dripping. "But, how?!" He looked around and saw the entire vicinity of changing again. The 'Neuromancer' he shot was not there anymore.

Just then, Dirk stood behind Trask with his own gun pointed to his head. Trask froze in his place, slowly veering his eyes toward the barrel tapping his temple. Nervous sweat dripped down his face and the edges of his brow. The anxiety filling him caused a lump in his throat. Dirk smirked and pulled the trigger, to which no bullet came out. Trask opened his eyes and gripped his beating chest.

"You ran empty. Lucky man," Dirk calmly said. "But, then again who's to say I was really pointing your own gun to your head."

Upon arriving, Marty faced Trask. Marty intervened and got close enough to use his nullification aura, turning off Dirk's power.

"Just couldn't let me do it, huh, Martin?" Dirk queried with an annoyed tone.

As he blinked, Trask saw his gun turn into Dirk's finger, and the "bullet wound" in his arm disappeared, as if it was never there to begin with. Trask's actual gun was lying far away out of his reach. Marty picked up the gun.

 **(End theme)**

"Would you like to end this?" Dirk asked Marty. "There's probably one bullet left."

Marty sighed and removed the remaining bullet. He dropped the gun.

"As much as I don't like him, it's not my style," Marty said. "And what would killing him prove?"

"Suit yourself," Dirk said, knocking Trask out with a chop to the back of his head and carried him on his back. He then got handcuffed by Marty again. "Martin Stonebagel, you might act like a better brother figure to Scott, but know he and I will always be family." He was dragged along to check back on the West Coasters.

xxxxx

 **(Cue Attack on Titan OST –** _ **Female Titan Chase Theme**_ **)**

Scott readily formed a wormhole as SOUJA Prime fired a beam from its forehead orb module. The wormhole quickly swallowed the beam. Then, another hole materialized behind SOUJA Prime as the same beam blasted its back. SOUJA Prime fell with its back severely damaged from its own attack.

"Looks like this thing's becoming damaged goods," Scott said, seeing how much damage the machine has taken.

"Yes, but we can't stop, guys! Keep attacking!" Andrea commanded, flying around and lobbing green telekinetic beams from her head. She then used telekinesis to lift some debris off the ground and slammed it against SOUJA Prime's head.

"Finally found you!" Penny cried out in relief, picking up her lucky silver dollar. She turned and watched SOUJA Prime stirring and getting up. "Just need a clear shot. One of you hold it steady!"

"Leave that to me!" Lance declared, lifting his Digivice as he beckoned to Pharaohmon. "Come, Pharaohmon! Let's combine!" With that, the Digivice sent a beam of light that covered him.

Soon, Lance was bathed in a similar glow. He and Pharaohmon were then pulled together and combined inside a column of light. As the two were completing their Biomerge, SOUJA Prime quickly stood and fired a beam from its forehead orb.

"No, you don't!" Scott exclaimed as his forehead glowed. He opened up another hole that swallowed the beam and saved Pharaohmon/Lance.

Another hole opened up on SOUJA Prime's left and blasted it on the side. The machine collapsed and favored its heavily damaged left arm. As it scanned forward, BioPharaohmon emerged out of the column of light ready to fight. BioPharaohmon bumrushed SOUJA Prime and caught it with a heavy punch to its chest. SOUJA Prime barely had time to defend itself and was sent flying from the powerful punch. SOUJA Prime fell right on top of an assembly line of freshly manufactured SOUJA units.

"Carmen!" Andrea flew down and grabbed Carmen.

SOUJA Prime sighted Andrea and Carmen flying above. It fired beams from its eyes to take them both out. It raised its hands as long metallic tendrils reached out to ensnare them. Andrea narrowly dodged the incoming metal tentacles. Carmen sliced through some of the tentacles.

"On three, take out that globe on its forehead! One! Two!"

Andrea flew closer toward SOUJA Prime's forehead.

"Three!"

Carmen got close enough to shove her katana through SOUJA Prime's forehead orb. The orb shattered as the blade pierced through it. Then, surges of red energy discharged and neutralized SOUJA Prime's optical scanners. SOUJA Prime stood bellowing in pain.

" _I think we got it!_ " Carmen cried out happily.

"No, wait...!" Andrea gasped as she noticed something glowing inside its head.

A strange green beacon of light shot out of SOUJA Prime's forehead and eyes. The strange glow seemed to rejuvenate the machine with a form of strange energy, to which caused Scott's forehead to glow.

"What the hell is this strange feeling?" Scott wondered about the strange power emanating from SOUJA Prime.

"Scott?!" Penny called out to him. "What's wrong?"

Suddenly, SOUJA Prime shot out more tendrils that ensnared both Andrea and Carmen. The machine pulled the two girls forward and quickly discharged electrical energies to neutralize them. Andrea and Carmen wailed in pain.

"Andrea!" Marty yelled out upon arriving at the location.

As Dirk got closer, he, too, felt his forehead glow an orange light. He dropped Trask and grabbed his forehead.

"What is this?" Dirk wondered.

Dirk watched Scott closely and noticed his brother's forehead glowing purple glow. "Scott?"

"Scott!" Penny hurried over to check on him.

"All right, ya big walking tinhead!" Nick shouted as he collected enough water to form a giant aqua sphere. "One total wipeout coming at ya!" He threw his hands down, causing the sphere to explode into a crashing tidal wave that swept through the factory.

 _ **Sploosh!**_

The sound of the tidal wave echoed throughout the factory. SOUJA Prime turned and got quickly swept away by Nick's _**Wipeout**_ attack. The machine lost its grip on Andrea and Carmen. Andrea channeled back enough energy to fly and she dove down to catch Carmen. SOUJA Prime was sent crashing into a wall as the tidal pressure critically damaged its body. SOUJA Prime staggered forward only to find itself wide open for BioPharaohmon to punch a hole through its chest. A green glow erupted from its chest, blindsiding BioPharaohmon.

"That green light again!" BioPharaohmon yelled out.

"What is the source of that green light?!" Nick wondered out loud.

"Could be the core keeping it alive! That's where we should aim!" Marty exclaimed.

"I've got it!" BioPharaohmon bellowed as he grabbed SOUJA Prime.

However, SOUJA Prime retaliated with a barrage of blasts that kept BioPharaohmon at bay. As the green glow intensified, it turned its sights on Scott and Dirk.

"Get the hell out of there, Scott!" Andrea cried out.

As SOUJA Prime's right arm extended forward to grab Scott, Penny quickly intervened and had her silver dollar ready.

"Penny!" Scott yelled out.

"Sis, move away!" Nick shouted fearfully as he collected enough water to form a wall in front of her.

"I've got this one, Scotty!" Penny declared, setting her sight on the perfect shot. She aimed and fired her _**Silver Dollar Shot**_ , which caused her to recoil back into Scott's arms.

The silver dollar tore right through SOUJA Prime's hand and dismantled it. SOUJA Prime's hand and arm fell off a broken heap. SOUJA Prime stumbled back and readily prepared to use its left arm, but BioPharaohmon grabbed the machine from behind. He lifted SOUJA Prime up and literally ripped apart the machine piece by piece. BioPharaohmon grabbed the head and body of SOUJA Prime, tearing both sections apart.

Just then, some SOUJA units entered and prepared to intercept the West Coasters, but Andrea and two Psy-clones cut them off with psychic blasts to their heads, blowing them up. Nick summoned enough water to wipe out three SOUJAs.

Tossing the remains of SOUJA Prime down, BioPharaohmon panted hard and regressed down in size. BioPharaohmon split back into Lance and his Pharaohmon sprite. The West Coasters convened with Lance. Dirk and Playdate reluctantly approached them.

 **(End theme)**

"Wow, they're good." Playdate said in awe.

"Well done, Martin," Dirk smirked ever so calmly. "Now I see why you've chosen to be with this group, brother."

"That's how you take out the trash, Lance! Way to go!" Nick said with a big grin.

"Yeah, that was really awesome," Andrea concurred.

"C'mon now, me and Pharaohmon can't take all the credit," Lance modestly replied to his teammate's praises. "You all helped wear him down. As far as I'm concerned, we all won."

"And a big win this is for us," Marty stated as he eyed the wreckage of SOUJA Prime. He noticed something subtly glowing the same green glow. "Everyone, look!"

All eyes fell on SOUJA Prime's remains as they saw the green glowing source.

"That's got to be the core, right?" Andrea asked as she approached the wreckage, but Marty beckoned her off.

"Wait," Marty pushed over some debris, revealing a green jewel lying beneath. "A jewel?"

"That's the source of its power?" Lance asked him.

"Could be..."

Just then, Scott and Dirk's eyes widened as they closely inspected the green jewel.

"Dirk, you see that...?!"

Dirk indicated. "Yes, could it be another…?"

"Wait, another what?" Marty asked in confusion.

"Is this related to the gems in your foreheads?" Penny asked.

"Yes, now grab it!" Dirk demanded.

Just when Marty reached over to nab the jewel...

 _ **Boom!**_

The sound of glass shattered from the ceiling and alarmed everyone present. A loud wail was heard followed a thud. Marty jumped back in alarm. He beckoned the West Coasters back.

"Ugh, damn those stupid... brats..." Came the annoyed tone of the woman.

A blue-skinned woman in a skimpy black leather magician's robe slowly stood holding a golden staff. Everyone stared in confusion as she got up, dusted herself off, and surveyed her surroundings.

"Where am I?" Chaos Magician Girl wondered until her eyes settled on the green jewel. Then, she was able to see a purple jewel inside Scott's head. She also saw an orange jewel in Dirk's forehead. She got a wicked grin on her face and snickered. "Oh, this is just perfect."

Then, she lifted the Staff of Apophis and the three jewels glowed in unison. The green jewel floated away from SOUJA Prime's remains and flew to her.

"The Soul Jewel is ours! Now, Space and Reality Jewels come forth!" The female mage declared, laughing evilly.

Before they could say anything, Scott and Dirk felt lightheaded as their foreheads gleamed.

"Scotty?!" Penny cried out.

"Brother..." Scott grabbed his forehead.

 **(Cue The Legend of Korra Book 2 OST –** _ **Tension**_ **)**

Everyone witnessed the Space and Reality Jewels ripping themselves free from Scott and Dirk's foreheads. The last two jewels flew toward the Staff. As all six jewels were fitted inside the artifact, a rift in space materialized above the factory's roof. From the rift came an immensely powerful ancient yet malevolent force. The immense power had enough power to tear the roof off the factory. The rift expanded and became accompanied by six colored lightning. The colors of the lightning bolts were yellow for Power, blue for Mind, pink for Time, purple for Space, orange for Reality, and green for Soul.

The group was swept back by the combined power of the Jewels of Eternity.

"Now come forth, my lord!" Chaos Magician Girl beckoned to the malevolent force, which emerged in a veil of dark golden light. "Rise and take form once again!"

The darkened sky was lit up by the presence of a gargantuan presence covered in a veil of gold. The being took shape in the form of a golden armored beast whose lower body was long like a serpent. His upper humanoid body was thick and built for battle. He had defined muscles on his chest, arms, biceps, abdomen, and torso. He had on a helmet complete with a hood that shaped his head like a cobra's. His stone-like face was black and his red eyes gleamed with life. Black gauntlets trimmed with gold formed over his wrists and hands. In his right hand, the Staff of Apophis was firmly locked in the entity's grasp.

The being raised the Staff of Apophis and unleashed a golden wave of light that ripped through the darkened sky. All six Jewels of Eternity glowed profusely at once.

The serpent-like entity loudly declared for the whole island to hear. " _ **At long last, after several millennia, the Jewels of Eternity have been reunited with me! Heed my presence, mortals! For I, Apophis, the God of Chaos, have returned to reshape this world!**_ "

 **(End theme)**

The West Coasters and their cohorts watched in utter horror and silence.

At least until Penny spoke for everyone.

"What. The. Fuck?"

xxxxx

 _ **TO BE CONCLUDED IN APOPHIS RISING**_

xxxxx

 **LazerWulf's Notes:** Muhuhuhuhahaha! At last our secret plan has been revealed! _The West Coasters_ and _Neos United_ are crossing over into _Apophis Rising_! Savvy readers might notice that these two stories have been taking place at the same time, and now we find out where the last three Jewels of Eternity were!

When these two series were conceived, they had nothing to do with each other. It wasn't until we finalized the characters of Scott and Dirk that we realized what we had.

Scott probably went through the most revisions of any of the WCs. We always knew that the last member of the team was going to be a teleporter, but he was originally named Jason Porter, and he was an only child. Back when Carmen was still going to be from San Diego, Jason was the one going to be from Portland, before we decided that it might be a bit too on-the-nose.

We also had trouble deciding which type of teleportation we would use, which would have an impact on what his codename would be. Eventually we decided on using wormholes, also known as Einstein-Rosen Bridges, and renamed him Scott Montgomery, after Montgomery Scott from _Star Trek_.

We knew we wanted the villain to have mind-control powers, and eventually we decided to make him Scott's older brother, as well. We named him Dirk after Douglas Adams' _Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency_ (a name the main character chose for himself because it had "that Scottish dagger feel"), and Neuromancer after the William Gibson novel of the same name. (And by now you've probably figured out my naming convention: stare at my bookshelf until something seems appropriate.)

Meanwhile, Kanius and I were in the planning stages for _Neos United_ , and when we came up with the Jewels of Eternity angle, we realized that Scott's and Dirk's powers were already perfect fits for the Space Jewel and the Reality Jewel. (Well, maybe the Reality Jewel wasn't _quite_ a perfect fit, but we were already using the Mind Jewel to have CMG takeover the Heralds' minds.)

Just as the Soujas are expys of the Sentinels, (and Victor Trask and expy of Bolivar Trask,) Souja Prime is an expy of Master Mold. Having his AI be the result of the Soul Jewel be an obvious fit as well, like the Monkey Talisman from _Jackie Chan Adventures_. (Some might think the Mind Jewel would be more appropriate, but, again, we were already using it elsewhere. Besides the Souja/Soul Jewel name similarity was just too good to pass up.)

So, between the two stories we had all 6 Jewels of Eternity, so we decided to set both stories at the same time and release the chapters alternately, leading up to a third series, _Apophis Rising_. This is also why _Neos United_ had delays. Though I wasn't actually beta-reading NU, the delays I caused on WC eventually bled over into the other series because we wanted to release them at the same pace. We were also planning one more chapter of _The West Coasters_ , that would have dealt with Marty's origin, but we couldn't stretch out NU any further, so we decided to combine the the last two chapters, and release Marty's origin (which is mostly written already, and in fact has been since before any of the other chapters of either story were written, just waiting for me to beta-read it) as a _Gaiden_ chapter.

 **Kanius' A/N:** Lazer said it all. I originally never intended for NU and TWC to converge into a single event. Lazer convinced me I should tie both stories together for a single event that could in some way incorporate the West Coasters into the central YYGDM setting. Moreover we wanted to go a more creative direction with my writing and trying something new for a change (much like _Summer Diaries_ a couple years back in 2011).

The West Coasters, as a concept, have been in the works since 2012, though I came up with the idea back in 2011. It wasn't until 2012 when we started conceptualizing the characters and overtime their backgrounds. Their profiles and such have been tweaked several times until we settled on the right personalities, names, and which special abilities they'd have.

I didn't want to start West Coasters until _Dawn of Chaos_ was at least finished. Enter 2015 and finally could start releasing the story. We've gotten their origin and present day stories out of the way, the next step is teaming them up with the YYGDM Neos and veterans. _Apophis Rising_ is their big break. Time to see if they're up to the task of facing their first Big Bad challenge.

Something to get out of the way, _The West Coasters_ proved to be one of the most challenging stories I've ever had to write. That's also why it took long for chapters to be released. Since WC was essentially an original story and does not include any of the canon YYGDM characters, I treated it as if I were writing an original novel. So having done this, TWC may have become a backdoor pilot for an idea of my first novel. I do have ideas in mind and perhaps something I want to do one day.

That said, TWC may have concluded, but the overall narrative is far from finished. Part 3 of this New Era Project will be released soonish: _Apophis Rising_!

Until then, send a review and look forward to Apophis' rampage on our heroes! Later and stay cool!


End file.
